Fr. Michael Quang Nguyen, SVD

Fr. Michael was born in 1961 in Saigon, the former capitol of South Vietnam. He arrived in the United States in 1984 and earned a BS degree in Engineering from San Jose State University. However, Fr. Michael soon realized that he did not want to spend the rest of his life as an engineer. He looked into different options for seminary formation, and in September of 1997 he entered the Divine Word Missionaries’ Associate Program. After one year of the Associate Program (designed for men who already have a bachelor’s degree), Fr. Michael applied for the SVD Novitiate. He professed first vows as a Divine Word Missionary in August of 1999 and Perpetual Vows in September of 2001. Fr. Michael was ordained a priest June 1, 2002. His first assignment was to teach theology at Divine Word College and to assist in the college seminary formation program. He continues to serve in this ministry, and he is also the chaplain for the Vietnamese Catholic community in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Searching For Oneself A Way

On Saturday, September 22, 2001, I professed my Perpetual Vows. Standing in the sanctuary of the Holy Spirit Chapel, in front of Father Stan Uroda, the representative of the Superior General, and the community that was made up of loved ones, friends, and SVD brothers, I promised to God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that I would live the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience for life. Some of my students in Divine Word College later asked me how I felt while reading the statement of vows. “To some extent, I felt nervous” I replied. They continued to ask me, “Why nervous?” After a moment of reflection, I said, “Because I made a commitment for life to be an SVD religious missionary.”

Roman Catholic couples, when celebrating their wedding in a local church, also make a commitment for life. This vow they profess to no one but their spouse. The bridegroom and the bride exchange their wedding rings, professing their commitment for life to each other. Similarly, on my Perpetual Vows-day, I also made a lifetime commitment. The three vows I professed, however, were addressed to no one but God, the Trinity.

People often talk about finding out a way for oneself. Đức Huy, a Vietnamese composer, has a famous line in one of his famous songs, “Tìm một con đường, tìm một lối đi.” Literally it means “To search for a way, to search for a path.” Symbolically it means that “People find for themselves their own destinations and commitments.” Some choose to become engineers, others journalists, etc. For some, a religious missionary life is more appealing and attractive. I belong to the former. But, it really took me a long time to find out that I’m called to be a religious missionary.

When I was sixteen, I entered St. Joseph High School Seminary run by the Archdiocese of Saigon. I ended this journey three years later. I then pursued a BS degree at San Jose State University, California, and graduated in Spring 1991. But in the first couple months of my engineering life, I knew that something was missing in my life, for I did not feel satisfied as an engineer. In other words, I did not believe that I could spend the rest of my life being an engineer. I eventually left Silicon Valley to pursue diocesan priesthood in San Diego, CA. But, again, happiness did not come to me. Having finished the second year of theology, I finally left the diocese of San Diego. I stayed with my family in San Jose, California, working as a Test Engineer for Cemax-Icon Company in Fremont, California for a year.

After a long journey with different dioceses, Saigon and San Diego, I became confused since I was not sure what kind of life I should commit for life. Again, I thought about a religious order, in particular a missionary life. I thus had some contacts with the Jesuits, the Franciscans in California, and much later with the Divine Word Missionaries. I prayed to God for a sign that if God really wanted me to become a religious missionary, between the Jesuits, the Franciscans and the Society of Divine Word, I would go with the community that answered my applications first.

God willed me to be an SVD missionary, so one Fall day in September 1997; I set my foot on O’Hare Airport to begin a new chapter of my life. During the first year of my journey with the Society of Divine Word, I resided at Divine Word Theologate (DWT) located in the Windy City (Chicago) and participated in the Associate Program. In this first year, I continued with my theology studies at Catholic Theological University. I liked the unique and diverse cultural environment of DWT. For example, there was no cook at DWT – the students prepared meals. Thus, when an Indonesian student cooked dinner, the community, made up of different members of several cultures, would have a chance to taste authentic Indonesian food. A supper at DWT also reminded me of the banquet in the kingdom of heaven which people of different nations are invited and shared the same meal (Matt 8:11).

The next year I transferred to Techny for my Novitiate year. This unique year enabled me to learn the SVD Constitutions, SVD chrism, and SVD spirituality. I really like the SVD slogan, “The world is our parish,” for it speaks about the global world that people of the third millennium are striving for. At the end of my Novitiate, I decided to continue the journey with the SVD by professing First Vows – the vows of chastity, obedience, and poverty. Having become an SVD, I returned to Divine Word Theologate for another year of my theology studies at CTU.

The beginning of the fourth year of my journey with the SVD marked another chapter in my journey. I moved to St. Rita Parish in Indianapolis, Indiana to be a Religion Teacher of St. Rita Middle School. The majority of people in the parish are African-American. The students and parishioners of St. Rita gave me opportunities to serve and to embrace people of different races other than my own. After I finished my assignment at St. Rita’s, I returned to Divine Word Theologate to finish my theology studies. Having lived a life of an SVD missionary for five years in different houses in different cities during my theology studies, I gradually found out that the missionary life is suitable for me; that God has willed for me to live the missionary life; that it is not a married life I should commit myself to, but an SVD life. What I can say about my decision to become an SVD missionary is that my spiritual life has continued to blossom in the Society of Divine Word; that my own SVD life makes sense to me. Relying on these two signs, I believed God calls me to be an SVD missionary.

To some extent I have found for me a way, a path. And the day came on September 22 when I was confident enough to solemnly promise to God that I would live out the rest of my life as an SVD religious missionary. May God continue to help me to be faithful with what I have promised on Saturday, September 22, 2001. Amen.