Sister knocks three times before the door is open

Intermountain Catholic

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Daughter of Charity Sister Maria Nguyen has been a religious for 11 years. She currently works with immigrants and refugees through CCS. IC photo by Christine Young

BOUNTIFUL — Daughter of Charity Sister Maria Nguyen’s vocation did not come easy for her. She knocked twice to see if she had a calling, tried to escape from Vietnam three times, and finally was sponsored to come to the United States before the door was open.

Sr. Maria was born in Vietnam and attended public school. In 1975, while she was in the fifth grade, Vietnam came under communist rule and there was no more Catholic school for anyone.

"When the communists came, everything was turned upside down. It was a real trying time," said Sr. Maria.

"The church has always been a huge part of my life. I went to church every morning at 4 a.m. The church was just across the street. I taught catechism for 16 years and was one of the youth leaders. We had to have our activities underground because the communists did not allow group activities. They were afraid of political uprisings. They limited our activities, so we had to hold them at people’s houses. They did allow us to go to Mass."

Sr. Maria decided she wanted to be a religious in the 10th grade.

"I followed my friend to the Salesians convent, and we stayed through the summer," said Sr. Maria. "It was also underground and we had to hide outside in the garden at night when the police came. They would count the shoes. But I missed my family so I did not return the next summer."

In the 12th grade, she joined a group of seven friends who were youth leaders to attend a Come and See at a Franciscan community. Although three of her friends joined that community, she did not feel a call.

"I started to wonder if I had a vocation," said Sr. Maria, who comes from a family of seven children. "I was feeling at a loss. I was waiting and I did not know my future.

"I tried to escape from Vietnam three times. We would hide in the huts at night on shore to get into the boat," said Sr. Maria. "Once I actually got in the boat, but it just took us back to the shore. I realize now I was tricked so they could get our gold. We had to pay them in gold.

"The third time I tried to escape with my sister and her three children," she said. "Her husband and son had already escaped and made it to the United States. That night, there were about 200 people trying to escape. We did not know what to do because there were so many people, and so many die at sea. But thankfully the boat did not come. We had been tricked again. We were about 250 kilometers from home. I was praying so hard to every saint, especially to St. Joseph because he protects families. It was my strong feeling that St. Joseph responded to my prayer.

"I got caught because I was covered in mud from walking along the shore and they knew where I had been," said Sr. Maria. "We did not know where we were and we were trying to find our way home when the police found us. My sister got away, but I went to jail with my nephew who was only 3 years old. I only had to stay in jail three days, but it was a very hard time. I cried and prayed all three days. It was so scary. Every day the police would come and interrogate me. I still remember it so vividly. My family had to pay to get me out of jail.

"So some how God had plans for me to come to the U.S.," said Sr. Maria. "About seven years later, one of my sisters sponsored me to come to the U.S. It was about 12 years after I first felt the call to become a religious and I still wanted to try. My friend gave me a copy of a list of many religious orders. I chose the Daughters of Charity because I thought they were an order of Mother Teresa."

At the time she wrote a letter to the Daughters of Charity, she was enrolled at a community college.

"A sister responded to me in Vietnamese and invited me to a Come and See," said Sister Maria. "A year later, I decided to join."

Sr. Maria’s ministry has included helping the homeless with food, toiletries, and clothing; serving as a teacher’s aide; and at a Catholic Charity senior center before returning to college to earn a degree in human services. She was then the executive director of a Vietnamese senior center. This year she earned a Master’s of Business Degree in May from Loyola Marymount University before coming to Utah in September. She currently works with immigrants and refugees at Catholic Community Services of Utah in Ogden. She hopes to be able to help the women become self-sufficient and receive training so they can find jobs.

"I have been a Daughter of Charity for 11 years," said Sr. Maria. "It has been a struggle, but my heart is filled with peace."