Fr. John Hung Le, SVD

When I was an eleven-year-old altar boy in Vietnam, I visited the local seminary once a month. I wanted to enter the seminary, but the Communist government at that time made admission impossible. So I stayed at home with my family and worked on our farm.

 

In 1979, my parents encouraged me to escape from Vietnam with my two aunts. We made it safely to the Philippines and remained there as refugees for three years. In 1982, we were resettled in southern California and I entered an American high school.

 

My interest in a religious vocation was still strong, and I felt called to become a missionary. At first, I was hesitant to make inquiries about a seminary because my English was still poor. I continued to pray. After graduating from high school, I took a big step and contacted Divine Word Missionaries. I got the telephone number from a vocation ad.

 

A Divine Word vocation director visited me in California and he invited me to visit Divine Word College Seminary in Epworth, Iowa. During my visit, I followed the seminary schedule, which was completely different from my typical routine in California. I could attend the Eucharist each day and I had time for community and personal prayer. I enjoyed sports and other activities in a very international community. After one year in a California college, I transferred to Divine Word College Seminary.

 

I graduated from college in 1992 and entered the novitiate at Techny, Illinois. During my novitiate year, I learned that my family in Vietnam was struggling financially. I was torn emotionally. I decided to leave the novitiate in order to earn some money to help them. I worked as a construction worker and a sewing machine repairman.

 

In 1994, after being away from my family for fifteen years, I was able to return to Vietnam for a visit. It was an emotional reunion. After the visit with my family, I was content that things would be all right for them. I reapplied to the novitiate and professed first vows in 1998.

 

While I was studying theology at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, I had the opportunity to do two years of missionary work in Papua New Guinea. I returned to finish my theology courses and professed perpetual vows in 2003. I was ordained a priest in 2004 at Techny.

 

My first missionary assignment was to Papua New Guinea. As an assistant priest at St. Anne Parish, Dirima, I assist the pastor by visiting different tribes within the parish. I celebrate the Eucharist at outlying mission stations, not only on Sundays but also on weekdays. I climb mountains to bring the sacraments to the elderly and sick who cannot come to church. I walk to some outstations which are far away from the parish because the roads are always bad and cars cannot be used. Some journeys take only a few hours; others can take up to two days. At these outstations, I sleep with families in bush houses and I eat whatever they have. I cannot carry any food on the trip because it is too heavy and I am carrying everything I need to celebrate Mass and the sacraments.

 

At the main station, besides pastoral care for the people, I do the maintenance for the girls’ vocational school. I help build classrooms and other buildings, make desks and tables and do some general carpentry work.

 

I experience the natural challenges, but I do not mind them too much. I find that the greatest challenge for me in my ministry is opposing corruption in the government, especially in the education system which deprives our simple children from receiving proper education.

 

In our parish, I try to create a “home” atmosphere for our children where they can learn and strengthen their Catholic faith. My dream is to have a small center for children where they can come to learn, read some books and participate in educational and entertaining activities.