“There are many ways to serve God, and I think this is one of the best ways to serve God,” Nguyen said. “It is a close and intimate way. But besides serving God, I like to serve people.”
Born in Vietnam, Nguyen was raised in a Catholic household and served as an altar server for many years. He left Vietnam at age 10 and came to the United States at age 12.
In high school Nguyen says he heard God calling him to serve as a priest. He met with his parish priest and after graduating from high school he joined the Congregation of the Mother Co-Redemptrix, a predominately Vietnamese religious order in Missouri.
After 13 years of studying with the congregation, Nguyen found himself being called to leave the religious order and turn to seminary life as a diocesan seminarian.
“I liked religious life. It has a communal lifestyle where in the diocese you’re pretty much on your own,” Nguyen said. “But I like both, sometimes to be in community and sometimes to be on my own. The diocesan lifestyle felt more suitable for me.”
Nguyen soon requested admittance at the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, where he spent two years in formation. Wanting to be closer to his family who had moved to California, however, he decided to leave Philadelphia and move to California. After researching the Diocese of San Bernardino, he applied at Serra House.
“What I like about the Diocese of San Bernardino is that it’s very diverse. It’s multicultural,” Nguyen said. “I like to explore and know more about the variety of cultures, their values and traditions.”
Visit www.youtube.com/sanbernardinodiocese for more on Nguyen and other seminarians’ stories.