Mass is celebrated for the Ordination of Deacons
SALT LAKE CITY — "By virtue of the sacrament of orders in communion with the Bishops and his priests, deacons have as their ministry to the people of God, the work of liturgy, the proclamation of the Word, and acts of charity," said the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City at the Mass for the Ordination of Deacons in the Cathedral of the Madeleine May 20. "The Church of Salt Lake City rejoices today in the celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Orders for two of its members," said Bishop Wester. The readings for the bilingual Mass were in Vietnamese and Tagalog. "As a diocesan Church, we welcome these candidates, Tai Nguyen and Joseph Frez into the Order of Deacons," said Bishop Wester. "In addition, I wish to welcome their families and friends, who are with us, and let you know how proud we are of your sons and brothers, and how we rejoice with you in giving thanks to God for their willingness to follow Christ’s call to serve." The deacon candidates were called forward, and Msgr. Colin F. Bircumshaw, director of vocations, asked that they be ordained to the responsibility of the diaconate. "Do you know them to be worthy," asked Bishop Wester. "After inquiry among Christian people, upon their recommendation, I testify they have become worthy," said Msgr. Bircumshaw. Bishop Wester said, "Relying on the help of the Word of God, and our Savior, Jesus Christ, we choose these, our brothers, to the Order of the Diaconate. Bishop Wester said in his homily that the theme of the liturgy, service, is a bit strange in today’s world, and a theme that is less than common. He said you can see it if you look at his predecessor, Archbishop of San Francisco George Niederauer’s Coat of Arm’s, "To Serve and To Give." "But you don’t see a whole lot of references to service in our world today," said Bishop Wester. "What year was it that we started calling it a gas station and not a service station. What happen to the phrase ‘Service with a Smile?’" Today’s liturgy puts a spotlight on the theme that, in a certain sense, is out of vogue. As we reflect on service, we see though, that it is truly a different, special, and unique type of service. It is a service that the Gospel tells us is rooted in Christ. Christ calls us to serve and makes that service possible. It is in that discipleship that we find ourselves." "Tonight Tai and Joseph are ordained for a specific service in the Church. A service rooted in Christ, rooted in discipleship. We in this local Church and beyond will witness that service in their diaconate. We will witness them preaching the Word of God and reading the sacred scriptures. We will witness them baptizing, distributing the Eucharist, assisting at and blessing marriages in the name of the Church, bringing viaticum to the dying, and officiating at funerals. They will be dedicated to their duties of charity and administration. "In short, we have seen them living out what Pope Paul VI said when he summed up the diaconate by saying that the deacons are strengthened by sacramental grace serving the people of God in word and charity in communion with the bishop and his presbyterate. "We also celebrate tonight that Tai and Joseph are set apart for the service in the Church and through the grace of orders," said Bishop Wester. "They are called not just to do service, but to be service. This service means to be present to Jesus. "The deacons are first and foremost to follow Jesus, to surrender themselves for the sake of the kingdom of God," said Bishop Wester. "Finally, Jesus says that through his service they are to live in and to create community. Jesus reminds us, if we follow his service, we follow the father with honor and whoever serves him. "Tai and Joseph are called in the midst of a very busy world, a very tasking world, and very technological world, to spend time with Christ so that they might know Christ deeply. So their service, as servants, will be tied up with Jesus who is the servant of God," said Bishop Wester. "They are called to willingly raise the importance of the presence of Christ, and to recognize that their service is not self serving, it is Christ centered, and aimed for the people of God." Nguyen was born in Vietnam. He came to America on Dec. 5, 2005, after a long struggle that required much faith and courage. "I was allowed to go to the Philippines in 1988, as a Vietnamese refugee," said Nguyen. "I was in the refugee camp seven years, and after that time, the camp was closed and we would have been forced to go back to Vietnam. Very lucky for us, the bishop intervened for the Vietnamese refugee people. With an agreement between the Philippines bishop’s confidence with the Philippine government, they allowed the Vietnamese refugees to stay in the Philippines legally. "In July 1997, I entered the seminary," said Nguyen. "After four years of philosophy and one and a half years of theology, the U.S. government came back to the Philippines and re-opened our case again for the Vietnamese people, and I had a chance to resettle in the United States. I passed the interview, and they allowed me to come to the United States." Nguyen became a transitional deacon, and will continue his education to become a priest. "After 1975, the communists took over Vietnam," said Nguyen. "When I was young I lived with my family in South Vietnam. When I was around 15 years old, I thought that I would become a seminarian, but at that time, all the seminaries were confiscated by the communist. All the seminarians were sent out and not allowed to practice their Catholic faith. My dream was very fragile, and I did not think it could happen. "I passed the entrance exam for college, but I was not accepted because I was Catholic. I knew the policy and the consequences when I filled out the application, and they asked my religion. I told them I was Catholic, professed my faith, and accepted the reality. But they denied my entrance. "So I escaped from Vietnam seven times over many years," said Nguyen. "One time I was caught and put in prison for five months and tortured. They wanted to get information about the boat owner, and I would not tell them because they would put the boat owner and his family in prison and do harm to them. After five months they released me. Then I escaped from Vietnam again, and the last time I was sent to the Philippines and stayed there for 17 years before coming to America. "I entered Mount Angel Seminary in Portland, Ore., in 2004, and I am doing fine," said Nguyen. "I really work hard and am taking many credits because some courses I did not take in the Philippines such as American culture. "So now it has been almost 12 years that I have been studying, and my journey is quite long," said Nguyen. "Through all the difficulties and my trials and hard life in the Vietnamese refugee camp, and hard times studying philosophy and theology in the Philippines, I experienced the grace of God’s ability in me. God is always with me and always provides me with what I need. Sometimes when I ask for things, he does not give them to me right away. I have to wait and be faithful five, 10, or 17 years, and then everything will be fulfilled. "My vocation is really supported by God’s people, all those in the Philippines who helped me," said Nguyen. "Now I am here in the United States and I am a seminarian of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, and supported by God’s people. That is my commitment and my surrender to God, and then to become a good holy priest and a good servant to serve the people of God." "I was born in the Philippines and grew up there," said Frez. "I graduated as an electronics and communications engineer. I entered Mount Angel Seminary in 2004. "I had been working with computers in Singapore for one year before I came to the United States," said Frez. "A computer agency recruited us to come to San Francisco. It was 13 years ago, during President Bill Clinton’s era. There was a government freeze, so I did not get my visa. I had to wait for the freeze to end. Then I came to Utah to work for American Stores and Discover Card." But Frez felt something was missing from his life and decided to join the Franciscan Order of the Capetians in Denver, Colo., and stayed there for two and a half years. He was attracted to the charism of serving the poor, and their free spirit and spontaneity. It was a mixture of being contemplative and active in the community. But that was not what he was looking for either because community life was not for him. After he left college, he had been living independently. The capetians were very good to him and the transition was smooth. "They knew I had left my job, and I had nothing else, so they gave me some money to start over again," said Frez. "I still remain in touch with them. Deep inside I still feel a Franciscan side of me. So my holy card is a Franciscan holy card because Saint Francis of Assisi was a deacon. "So I called Msgr. Colin Bircumshaw (then Father), and he said to come to Utah," said Frez. "I had always thought about being a priest, but the thought would come and go. My parents discouraged me because I was too young. Then when I was in Utah before going to Colorado, the thought was made clear. "Coming from the Philippines, the ultimate ambition is to come to work in the United States," said Frez. "While working, I did not fill fulfilled yet, there was something missing. From there my vocation grew. "Now that I became a deacon tonight, I am beginning to really fill fulfilled, and feel the call to the priesthood," said Frez. "Like the bishop said, called to serve in obedience because sometimes people think the priesthood is just service, but we should also help the poor. Through my seminary formation that makes a big difference because my service is really for the diocese and for my bishop and his successors. This is what I promised tonight. I vowed for chastity and obedience, because a deacon or a priest is not a job, it is a calling. It is a gift from God. It is like a social worker is a sense helping people rooted in Christ and rooted in the Church."
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