Please help light the path to priesthood for seminarians like Francis.
The Catholic faithful in Vietnam persevere through a more precarious faith journey than what we could ever expect here in Australia. It is why they need strong, compassionate leaders with an ability to understand their circumstances – figureheads in the community that will stand up for them and guide them.
Thankfully, seminaries provide the necessary skills and formation, both spiritual and practical, to prepare seminarians for their future as priests and community leaders.
Meet Francis
Francis Xavier Nguyen Huu Tinh is a fourth-year seminarian at Stella Maris Major Seminary.
Francis is aware that as a priest in Vietnam he will need to guide his people through the challenges facing them and the country; he and many of his fellow classmates have experienced some of these problems firsthand.
As he shares:
‘Vietnam has gained some achievements but still faces many problems including poverty, injustice, violence and a weakness in education. There is also disorientation in life and a sense of frustration with bureaucracy in the country.
‘The priest plays an important role in helping the youth to realise the importance of learning and of spiritual values in this world today.’
Francis' faith was strengthened through adversity; as a teenager he witnessed a friend die in a traffic accident, a tragedy from which he grew to believe that God has called him to this life for a reason. He says Psalm 119:105—'Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’—resonates strongly with his journey.
‘This verse left a deep impression in my heart, because it is like a guidance; a reminder that anytime, anywhere in my journey of life, I must trust in God,’ Francis says. ‘I still walk on this path through God’s Grace and my own effort.’
 | Francis is extremely passionate about the issues he sees his people face and has the ambition to solve them in whatever way he can. ‘As a priest, one must first build a community of faith that starts with the love and kindness of God. God is the goal of all our lives,’ he says. ‘I want the Church of Vietnam to be active in the advancement of society through education, healthcare and charity. A priest must light the torch of hope for those who need him.’ |
Seminarians like Francis are the future Church and community leaders in Vietnam and around the world. The difference you make to Francis’ journey to priesthood today can be the difference in hundreds of other lives in years to come.
You can support seminarian’s faith formation and studies on their journey to priesthood through a generous gift today.