Divine Word Missionaries

Bro. Paul Hoang, SVD

Paul, 25, is originally from Vietnam and is the only son in his family of four children. Paul escaped Vietnam in 1987. He spent two years in various refugee camps in Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines before arriving in Los Angeles, California, in 1989 at the age of nine. Paul graduated from high school and entered Divine Word College in 1999 with a desire to follow in Jesus' footsteps. Paul earned his BA Degree from Divine Word College in 2003, entered Novitiate that same year and professed First Vows as a Divine Word Missionary in August 2004. He is currently in the Brother Formation Program and is studying for a Masters in Social Work from Loyola University in Chicago.

A Vision Unclear

I entered the seminary with the intention to become a missionary priest. After five years of struggles, blessings, training and discernment, I took my first vows as a religious and a Divine Word Brother. The Society of the Divine Word, also known as the SVD, is a religious community of missionaries who, like Saint Arnold Janssen, dedicate and commit themselves to “imitate the Word made flesh in self-em ptying, to follow Jesus Christ through cross and resurrection, in suffering and joy.” As brothers from many cultures, we “ pass over to be with others, offering and receiving good news, with res pect, understanding, com passion, and love.”

Br. Paul Hoang Before I came to the awareness of the brotherhood vocation, I, too, had often asked, “Why not go ‘all the way’ and be ordained a priest? Why become a brother?” This is a valid and honest question. However, this question revealed a very inaccurate conce ption of the brotherhood vocation. This question im plies that Brothers are second class to Priests. This view, unfortunately, is still very prevalent within the mentality of many peo ple. Without going into the long history of the division between the priesthood and the brotherhood and how they began to be seen as “se parate classes,” I would like to share my unex pected encounter with the brotherhood vocation.

As I mentioned earlier, I had originally entered the seminary with the intention of becoming a missionary priest. However, on one unex pected day, in a conversation with my formator during my second year in the seminary, he said, “With your interests and talents you might want to consider becoming a brother.” With that, the seed of the brotherhood vocation was planted. I did not receive the seed readily or with enthusiasm. As a matter of fact, I tried to dismiss it, and it was a long time before I again thought about the brotherhood.

Why should I think about becoming a brother? After all, life was smooth, clear and going well for me. I entered the seminary with the sole pur pose and plan of becoming a missionary priest. My first dream of becoming a priest was when I was in the third grade, and all the subsequent dreams had made it clear to me that my life vocation was to the priesthood – or so I thought. All my “normal” ex periences through the years while growing u p had made it clear to me that my life vocation was to the priesthood, or so I thought. My heart, my mind and my soul, all were calling me “to come and follow Him.” The calling grew stronger and stronger with each day as I grew older. Becoming a priest was the only way to follow Jesus, or so I thought. Even in a dream during my 30-day retreat before I made my decision to live the brotherhood vocation, I saw myself preaching and “celebrating the Eucharist.” I thought, “These are the things that priests do. So, I ought to choose the priesthood vocation.”

But then, I remembered a line from the movie TheMatrix: “She did not tell you what will happen, but only what you needed to hear then.” All that I had “seen” and “heard” from my dreams and ex periences were not meant to tell me what would ha p pen, or what I would be. Yes, God has a plan for me and She gives me hints and whis pers dee p within me to hel p me realize and understand my pur pose, my vocation in life. But, I still have to choose if I want to coo perate and work with God to attain the fulfillment in life for me and for others. God does not force me to follow His plan, nor does She use me as a pawn. I believe and ex perience God as inviting me to work with Him and contribute to His continuation of creation. Therefore, through prayers and discernment, I have come to realize that I have “heard” and “seen” what I needed to hear and see so I can make my decision. Now that I have been “led to the door,” it is now u p to me to “walk through the door” and enter a new life.

I have made my decision and have chosen to live my life as a religious brother. I am not an ordained priest, yet, I am still a priest of the Lord. As a Christian, through our ba ptism we are all called to be priests of our Lord, Jesus. By our commitments and dedication to Him, we are all invited to be living disci ples of Jesus. This is how I have come to understand my faith and my vocation. As a religious brother, I have chosen to witness and celebrate the Eucharist in my daily life, and through my services to the peo ple I meet.

Now, I realize that life is not smooth, clear, or easy. With all the hidden valleys of knowledge and dangers, with all the struggles of physical, emotional, psychological and s piritual pains and joy, and with all the confusion and times of wonders and doubts, I have come to realize how beautiful life is. Life is beautiful and I have a role in contributing to the continuation of the creation of life. The story of creation is not yet com plete, and I am not yet com plete. However, I am okay and I am on my way.

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