MEET OUR REDEMPTORIST SEMINARIANS
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February 1, 2022There are seven seminarians in our Redemptorist Philosophy program at St. John's University, New York City. Below is a short bio on each one of them. Please keep them in your daily prayers as they continue through their vocational journey.
1) Andy Jones:
My name is Andy Jones, and I was born in Trenton, NJ in 1979. I am a longtime caregiver, but I lived a great many years searching for God’s plan. I entered formation with the Redemptorists in the Bronx in January of 2021. I am studying Philosophy as an undergraduate at Saint John’s University in Queens.
I first heard the Lord reaching specially into my life when I was driving cross-country in my early 20s; however, I was not ready to fully embrace the depth of His love until my late 30s. I’ve often told people my prayer was very simple: “God, I know you are doing something with me but, please speak clearly. I’m pretty dense.”
I attended a discernment retreat at St. Peter’s in Philadelphia, and more specifically, the Shrine of St. John Neumann. I was receiving a blessing at the crypt chapel to Bishop St. John Neumann, C.Ss.R. A soft-voiced Redemptorist priest, with a relic of this amazing saint, said “Please step forward.” My prayer for anyone who is discerning God’s Will for consecrated life is that the Lord will speak simply to you as well. Remember that He is gently reminding good, but simple, men and women not to levitate or bear the stigmata, not necessarily to give up everything, but simply to step forward. Receive the love God has for you and shows you in Christ, through our Mother of Perpetual Help.
As for the Redemptorists I have met, this is the easiest group of men you could ever fall in love working with. Like John Neumann and St. Alphonsus, they work hard “stepping forward” to the ones who live in the peripheries and who need a Gospel message they can see in action.
There are plenty of men and women in these times who need care physically and spiritually. I for one would love to be a part of an organization, together with Jesus Christ, that cares enough to step forward in truth, in faith, and in service. Please continue to pray for me as I am praying for all whom God has called to service.
2) Andrew Dang Khoa Tran-Chung:
I was born and raised in Houston, and am the eldest of two sons in my family. I vividly remember first wanting to become a priest when I was a child, imitating Father as he consecrated the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. It was then that I realized I sought a greater part in the celebration of the Eucharist.
So, what did I do? I asked my parents to sign me up for altar serving at the age of seven. Between then and high school, I always struggled to know if God was truly calling me to be his servant and I think my discernment really reached a peak when it came time for college admissions. As I was interviewing with Yale for my applications and talking with my recruiter, I also was speaking with the vocation director for the Redemptorists of the Denver Province.
Struggling between the two, I was really meditating and asking: “Is God really calling me?” I got an answer that week. After my senior year of high school, I joined the Redemptorists in the Bronx, where I’m studying philosophy at St. John’s University. What’s great about being in a community is that we are unique individuals but when put together, we form a cohesive and harmonious group that allows us all to grow in our own way.
My hope for the coming semester is that I’m able to build upon the foundation my parents laid for me growing up, one that is rooted in faith, prayer, family and friends, and to further my discernment.
3) Dominick Thien An Do-Tong:
My name is Dominick Thien An Do-Tong. I am 24 years old. I am currently a postulant for the Redemptorists of the Denver Province.
I was born in Seattle and raised in Everett, a city north of Seattle. My home parish is St. Mary Magdalen in Everett. There, I am an altar server/acolyte, sacristan, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, and musician for the Hispanic and Filipino choirs.
I attended Catholic schools for a good part of my life, graduating from St. Mary Magdalen School, Everett, in 2011 and O’Dea High School, Seattle, in 2015. After high school, I studied at Edmonds College, Lynnwood, for two years, completing my Associate in Arts degree. I then transferred to the University of Washington in Seattle, where I studied for three years. I graduated in 2020 with a BA in English Literature and a minor in Music. Earlier this year, I took a few introductory philosophy courses online through Edmonds College.
Initially, I had heard of the Vietnamese Redemptorists through the media and an Extra-Patriam Redemptorist priest who celebrates Healing Masses. I even had a chance to visit the Redemptorist church in Saigon when I visited Vietnam 14 years ago. Yet, I have learned more about the Redemptorists of the Denver and Baltimore Provinces in recent years, especially by attending daily Masses at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Seattle (which is literally right next to the Space Needle!) and getting to know the Redemptorists there.
I participated in a Come & Pray weekend in Philadelphia with the Redemptorists in November of 2019. I decided to join the Redemptorists because of the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Congregation’s strong devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help.
My very first semester of philosophy studies and experiencing first-hand the Redemptorist way of life in the Bronx – learning about the joyful and hopeful message of plentiful redemption – has really confirmed this decision.
Please pray for me as I continue this journey, one day at a time, discerning with the Redemptorists. May God bestow on me wisdom, patience, strength and serenity. May Our Mother of Perpetual Help, St. Alphonsus, and all the saints, continue to intercede for me.
4) John Thien Nguyen:
Coming from a devout Catholic family, I was sent to Catholic school from elementary school all the way up to college. My family would attend daily Mass, and my mother’s deep faith in God inspired me to really think about my future.
My vocation was first ignited by my mother, a very devout Catholic. She taught me my first prayers and told me about the wondrous Eucharistic miracle stories. Little did I know that the tiny sparks of my mom’s devotion would start a raging fire of love for God in my heart.
At only nine years old, I joined the altar servers, and the thought of becoming a priest was always on my mind. So began the arduous journey of devoting my time to my classes and volunteering for hours a week at a hospital to gain experience.
I was indeed blessed to attend La Salle Catholic College Preparatory. My parents’ hard work sent me to a good school along with tutors who would help me excel in my classes. My education gave me the opportunity to pursue whatever career I wanted for myself. However, I had no idea that God had something else planned for me.
After graduating from La Salle Catholic College Preparatory, I attended the University of Dallas in Texas, where I joined the Vietnamese Extra-Patriam Redemptorists. After a year of discernment, I believed that the community there was not a good fit for me, and I began to doubt my vocation.
I resolved my doubt by going back to the secular world while applying to the Redemptorists of the Denver Province. After a while of being stranded and drowned in the vanities of the world, I felt lost in life at one point. Nevertheless, God was there to comfort me: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).
After a year and a half at the University of Dallas, I transferred to St. John’s University, where I joined the Redemptorist formation program in the Bronx. Up to this day, I am not one second remorseful of joining the Redemptorists of the Denver Province. I genuinely treasure being part of the formation program where my formators help guide me, the brotherhood in the program that will last a lifetime, getting to teach Confirmation class and ultimately being able to accept God’s calling and getting to live my vocation to the best of my ability.
In the seminary, we do not pray or read the Bible 24/7, nor do we memorize the Bible from back to front. We are not perfect at all; we make mistakes and ask God for forgiveness just like other people. Nevertheless, like Jesus’ disciples, we as seminarians are simply normal people who hear God calling and choose to follow Him, just as Jesus’ disciples who were fishermen and answered God’s call.
Through the mercy of God and the intercession of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, I am currently living in New York and am in my third year of Philosophy. I would like to end with this quote from St. Augustine: “Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever; and take care of your soul as if you were going to die tomorrow.”
5) Mc Quain Crisel Clovis:
Mc Quain Crisel Clovis is the name given to me by my parents. I am 23 years old and from the beautiful Caribbean Island of Saint Lucia.
I am honest, hardworking, disciplined and goal-oriented. I have always believed that developing the powers of reasoning, judgment, and preparing oneself is essential.
My vocation started at the age of seven when I told my parents I wanted to be the man on the altar, who was Fr. Kevin Murray at the time. The calling to be a priest went away until Confirmation, when I told the Archbishop I wanted to be a Catholic priest.
In my last year of high school, I got in touch with Fr. Alistair, Br. Gerard and Fr. Kevin Murray, who encouraged me and helped me with my discernment. In 2015 I decided to apply to the Redemptorists. However, I was too young to join the seminary; therefore, I applied to the Post-Secondary program after graduating from Piaye Secondary School. I obtained a diploma in Business Studies.
After graduating, I decided to further my education and went to the Sir Arthur Community College to study Business Administration and received an Associate degree. After that, I applied to Saint John’s University to study Philosophy and joined the North American Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province.
Our formation community is in the Bronx, where I currently live. This is my sixth semester at St. John’s University and as a member of the formation community. I enjoy being in the seminary and the company of my brother seminarians. I need to note that we are all from different cultural backgrounds, and there is a lot to learn from each other, which is a blessing. I enjoy the outdoors, so I go walking or window shopping in my free time on the weekend or during the week with my brother seminarians.
The things I find essential are prayer, family, and friends who give me the courage to keep persevering on this challenging journey that Christ and his disciples once walked. I have taken the many opportunities given to me by God to pray, reflect, discern, and develop personally to conform to the way of life of the Redemptorists.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, my summer ministry gave me a chance to visit and stay with a beautiful community at Sacred Heart of Jesus/Sagrado Corazon de Jesus Church in Baltimore. I had a wonderful experience delivering food to people’s homes and reading for the online Mass. Being with this community helped me experience something different and away from our regular formation schedule for the first time.
In 2021, I lived with a community of wonderful priests and brothers in Philadelphia at St. Peter the Apostle Church and the St. John Neumann Shrine, where I gained more skills and was able to work with wonderful people in the parish.
So, I leave you with one of my favorite bible verses: “Then the LORD answered me and said: Write down the vision; Make it plain upon tablets, so that one can read it readily. The vision is a witness for the appointed time, a testimony to the end; it will not disappoint. If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late. See, the rash man has no integrity; but the just one who is righteous because of faith shall live” (Habakkuk 2:2-4).
6) (Nhan) Tran Do:
My name is Tran Do. However, I usually tell people to call me Nhan or Paul. Nhan was my name when I was in Vietnam, and Paul is the name of my patron saint. For those who find it difficult to pronounce my Vietnamese name, I tell them to call me Paul. So, I go by three names – Nhan, Paul, and Tran – when I need to do paperwork.
I am 29 years old now. I came to the U.S. to Philadelphia when I was 14 years old. It was a long journey for my family and me. Eventually, thanks to God, we could settle down in this new environment financially, emotionally and physically. America became our homeland.
In the first 19 years of my life, I never thought about becoming a religious. I thought it was bothersome. I did not like religion that much. I believed in God because my mother taught me so. There was no real experience in the relationship between God and me.Nevertheless, a vocation is a mystery.
When I was 19 years old at the Shrine of St.-Anne-de-Beaupré, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in Canada, a thought came to me. I asked myself: “Should I become a priest?” I mean, even if I did not care about religion at that time, my mother and grandparents usually encouraged me and my siblings or cousin to become religious.
Thus, that kind of thought always stuck in my mind. And at that moment in the chapel, that thought became stronger. It did not just last for a moment, but for three years until I considered joining a religious congregation, which I did in 2016. At first, I joined the Extra-Patriam Vietnamese Redemptorists. After four years and a half, I transferred to the Baltimore Province of the Redemptorists.
After six years in formation, I learned to humble myself to transform myself in whatever way that God sees fit. When we join a religious order, I believe it is not what we can do. Instead, it is what God can do through us. We are chosen for God’s works and His people. Therefore, we need to submit ourselves entirely to God’s holy Will and let Him work on us in any way He wants.
7) Son Thanh Lai:
I was born and raised in the countryside of the south of Vietnam. I grew up in a family with five siblings. I am the fifth child in my family; I have three older brothers, one older sister, and one younger sister.
When I was 18, my family and I moved to America to be reunited with my relatives. A couple of months after I got to America, I enrolled in a high school because I hadn’t finished high school yet. After finishing high school, I applied to Miami University to continue my education.
But after a few years, I quit because of a family situation. I knew that I needed to help my family, so I learned to be a manicurist and earn a degree after working for a few years to gain experience. Two years later, I received help from my family members and owned myown business. After several years of a successful career, I was not feeling peaceful with my life because the hole in my heart was still there.
In recent years I believed that I had been called to religious life with my involvement in the church and through conversations with Fr. Linh and Fr. Denis. But most of the time, I was encouraged by Fr. Linh, who helped me find out and understand how God wants me to be and use my life in this world.
Later down the line I decided to attend the Come & Pray weekend at St. John Neumann Shrine. It was my chance to learn more about Redemptorist community life and to get in touch with God through prayer.
I would say that it was also a privilege to see the body of St. John Neumann, a man of great faith. I learned about the history of the Redemptorists, St. Alphonsus, and the other saints of the Congregation. They lived their lives for others, especially the poor.
As a kid until now I believe that I have lived my life for others and for the poor just like the Redemptorist saints. I really enjoy working and helping people in difficult circumstances by bring the Good News to them.
I hope to become a Redemptorist priest and to live a virtuous life like St. Alphonsus, and to be a great example for others and to lead them to God by conforming to the mission and life of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.
(Courtesy of DenverLink.)