Gaëp gôõ Ñöùc taân Giaùm muïc Phuï taù Giaùo phaän San Diego,

Michael Phaïm Minh Cöôøng

Gaëp gôõ Ñöùc taân Giaùm muïc Phuï taù Giaùo phaän San Diego, Michael Phaïm Minh Cöôøng.

Michael Phaïm Minh Cöôøng

Mary Traàn (chuyeån dòch Vieät ngöõ töø baûn tieáng Anh)

San Diego (Diocese of San Diego 7-06-2023) - Toâi sinh naêm 1967 taïi Ñaø Naüng, Vieät Nam, trong thôøi gian ñaát nöôùc bò chia ñoâi thaønh hai mieàn Nam Baéc. Naêm 1975, gia ñình toâi cuøng ñaïi gia ñình di cö vaøo taän cuoái mieàn Nam Vieät Nam ñeå tìm caùch möu sinh vaø soáng trong moät noâng traïi. Khi toâi khoaûng 10 tuoåi, toâi ñeå yù ñeán moät linh muïc trong thò traán raát quan taâm ñeán giaùo daân cuûa mình. Ngaøi thöôøng ñeán thaêm caùc gia ñình trong xöù vaø raát thaân tình vôùi taát caû moïi ngöôøi. Töø luùc ñoù, toâi töï nghó: "Mình muoán ñöôïc nhö ngaøi vaäy". Naêm 1980, khi toâi 13 tuoåi, toâi cuøng chò gaùi, em trai toâi vöôït bieân rôøi khoûi Vieät Nam treân moät chieác thuyeàn nhoû vaø ñeán moät traïi tî naïn treân hoøn ñaûo teân laø Palau Bidong, Malaysia. Naêm 1981, chuùng toâi ñöôïc moät gia ñình ngöôøi Myõ baûo trôï vaø ñeán ñònh cö ôû Blue Earth, Minnesota. Vaøi thaùng sau, moät chò khaùc cuûa toâi cuõng ñeán, vaø vaøi naêm sau nöõa, nhöõng ngöôøi coøn laïi trong gia ñình cuõng ñöôïc ñeán ñoaøn tuï cuøng chuùng toâi. Thôøi tieát quaù laïnh ñoái vôùi cha meï toâi, vì vaäy gia ñình chuùng toâi, ngoaïi tröø moät chò gaùi, chuùng toâi chuyeån ñeán San Diego vaøo naêm 1985. Maëc duø vieäc phuïc vuï Nhaø Chuùa vaãn quan troïng ñoái vôùi toâi, nhöng trong thôøi gian naøy toâi taäp trung nhieàu hôn vaøo vieäc hoïc haønh. Toâi hoïc xong trung hoïc taïi tröôøng trung hoïc San Diego, sau ñoù toâi tieáp tuïc hoïc taïi Ñaïi Hoïc cuûa Tieåu Bang San Diego vaø toát nghieäp baèng kyõ sö. Vaøo naêm thöù ba cuûa ñaïi hoïc, toâi tham döï moät khoùa trieát hoïc ñeå ñaùp öùng theo yeâu caàu giaùo duïc phoå thoâng. Khoùa hoïc naøy ñaët ra nhieàu caâu hoûi trong ñaàu toâi. Luùc naøy, toâi noùi vôùi cha toâi trong moät böõa côm toái gia ñình raèng toâi muoán tìm hieåu ñi tu laøm linh muïc. Nghe xong, cha toâi khoâng noùi moät lôøi naøo. Nhöng vaøo böõa toái hoâm sau, cha toâi môùi noùi: "Neáu trong soá caùc anh em cuûa con muoán ñi tu laøm linh muïc, thì ba seõ cho pheùp, nhöng vôùi con thì khoâng." Toâi nghó raèng giöõa toâi vaø boá toâi vaãn quan heä raát toát ñeïp, vaø bôûi vaäy toâi vaãn khoâng hieåu taïi sao oâng khoâng cho pheùp toâi ñi tu. Toâi traân troïng tieáp tuïc hoaøn thaønh chöông trình ñaïi hoïc cuûa mình vaø sau khi toát nghieäp ñaïi hoïc, toâi baét ñaàu laøm vieäc vaø phuïc vuï taïi nhaø thôø giaùo xöù Chuùa Chieân Laønh (Good Shepherd) cuûa chuùng toâi. Tieáng goïi ñeå trôû thaønh linh muïc trôû neân maõnh lieät hôn trong toâi. Toâi hoûi boá toâi laàn thöù hai. Caâu traû lôøi cuûa boá toâi vaãn raát laø tieâu cöïc. Toâi thöïc söï caûm thaáy mình phaûi ñi ñeán moät quyeát ñònh, neáu khoâng, trong töông lai toâi seõ phaûi hoái haän. Töï chính toâi, toâi xin vaøo chuûng vieän ôû Giaùo phaän San Diego. Cha meï toâi sôùm nhaän ra raèng hoï cuõng khoâng theå ngaên caûn toâi vaøo chuûng vieän, vaø cuoái cuøng hoï cuõng ñaõ chaáp nhaän yeâu caàu cuûa toâi vaø ñoàng yù cho toâi ñi tu. Toâi thöïc söï caûm thaáy baøn tay cuûa Chuùa ñang haønh ñoäng trong suoát quaù trình ñeå toâi trôû thaønh moät linh muïc.

Toâi vaøo hoïc taïi Chuûng vieän Thaùnh Phanxicoâ taïi USD vaøo naêm 1994, vaø sau ñoù toâi ñöôïc göûi ñeán Chuûng vieän Thaùnh Patrick ôû San Francisco. Toâi ñöôïc thuï phong linh muïc vaøo naêm 1999 cho Giaùo phaän San Diego. Trong ngaøy leã thuï phong linh muïc cuûa toâi, toâi caûm thaáy moät nieàm vui, haïnh phuùc vaø bình an laï thöôøng. Boá meï vaø anh chò em toâi raát möøng cho toâi. Laø moät linh muïc, taát caû nhöõng gì toâi muoán laø phuïc vuï daân Chuùa trong vieäc cöû haønh Bí Tích Thaùnh Theå vaø quy tuï moïi ngöôøi veà hieäp nhaát vôùi Chuùa Kitoâ trong ñôøi soáng phuïc vuï, baùc aùi vaø yeâu thöông. Trong cuoäc soáng vôùi thieân chöùc linh muïc cuûa toâi, Thieân Chuùa ñaõ baøy toû cho toâi tình yeâu vaø aân suûng lôùn lao cuûa Ngöôøi trong suoát ñôøi toâi khi toâi phuïc vuï taïi coäng ñoaøn Ñöùc Maria Meï Sao Bieån, coäng ñoaøn Chuûng vieän Thaùnh Phanxicoâ vôùi tö caùch laø giaùm ñoác ôn goïi, coäng ñoaøn Thaùnh Gia, coäng ñoaøn Thaùnh Teâreâsa, vaø coäng ñoaøn Chuùa Chieân Laønh. Maëc duø trong cuoäc soáng vôùi chöùc vuï linh muïc, ñoâi khi coù theå gaëp phaûi nhöõng khoù khaên, nhöng toâi seõ khoâng bao giôø ñaùnh maát noù ñeå ñoåi laáy baát cöù thöù gì khaùc. Ñeå coù theå phuïc vuï tha nhaân, ñaëc bieät laø nhöõng ngöôøi tuùng thieáu, nhöõng ngöôøi bò gaït ra beân leà vaø nhöõng ngöôøi ngheøo khoå, hoï laø nhöõng ngöôøi öu tieân nhaát caàn phaûi ñöôïc phuïc vuï, vaø chính nhöõng phuïc vuï ñoù mang laïi söï haøi loøng lôùn lao vaø khaúng ñònh cho nhöõng löïa choïn trong suoát haønh trình cuûa ñôøi toâi.

Vì vaäy, toâi raát bieát ôn Ñöùc Thaùnh Cha Phanxicoâ laø ngöôøi luoân quan taâm ñeán nhöõng ngöôøi ôû nhöõng vuøng xa xoâi heûo laùnh. Qua nhieàu naêm nay, ngaøi ñaõ choïn moät soá hoàng y töø nhöõng khu vöïc xa xoâi nhoû beù vaø khoâng heà ñöôïc nhieàu ngöôøi bieát ñeán. Ñöùc Thaùnh Cha Phanxicoâ cuõng ñaõ môû Thöôïng Hoäi ñoàng Giaùm muïc ñeå laéng nghe tieáng noùi cuûa moïi ngöôøi daân, ñaëc bieät ñi ñeán vôùi nhöõng ngöôøi yeáu theá, deã bò toån thöông, bò gaït ra beân leà xaõ hoäi vaø nhöõng ngöôøi ôû nhuõng vuøng xa xoâi heûo laùnh. Vì nhöõng lyù do naøy, toâi caûm thaáy chöùc tö teá cuûa mình raát xöùng ñaùng ñeå phuïc vuï giaùo hoäi vaø daãn daét moïi ngöôøi vaø caùc neàn vaên hoùa neân moät trong Chuùa Kitoâ. Thaät laø moät ñaëc aân vaø vinh döï khi trôû thaønh moät linh muïc. Vaø giôø ñaây, toâi ñöôïc keâu goïi ñeå phuïc vuï giaùo hoäi vôùi tö caùch laø giaùm muïc. Toâi khoâng bieát mình coù nhöõng gì, nhöng toâi hy voïng vaø caàu nguyeän ñeå nhôø söï höôùng daãn cuûa Chuùa Thaùnh Thaàn ban cho toâi söï khoân ngoan, kieán thöùc vaø söùc maïnh ñeå ñaûm nhaän nhieäm vuï maø Ñöùc Thaùnh Cha ñaõ trao phoù cho toâi ñeå phuïc vuï daân Chuùa.

Meet Our New Auxiliary Bishop

I was born in 1967 in Da Nang, Viet Nam, when there was conflict between North and South Viet Nam. In 1975, my family and extended family migrated to further South Viet Nam to live on a farm in order to survive. When I was about 10 years old, I noticed a priest in town who was very involved with his parishioners. He visited the families often and was kind to all people. I thought, "I want to be like that." In 1980, when I was 13 years old, I with my older sister, my younger brother left Viet Nam on a boat to an island called Palau Bidong, Malaysia. In 1981, we were sponsored by an American family to live in Blue Earth, Minnesota. Another sister came a few months later, and a couple years later, the rest of the family joined us. The weather was too cold for my parents, so our family, except one sister, moved to San Diego in 1985. Though church was still important to me, my focus was more on academics. I finished high school at San Diego High, and then I went to San Diego State to earn an engineering degree. In my third year of college, I took a course in philosophy to meet general education requirements. This course raised many questions in my mind. At this time, I told my father during family dinner that I wanted to explore the priesthood. He did not say a word. At the next night's dinner, he finally said, "if anyone of your brothers who want to go into the priesthood, I would let them, but not you." I thought that my dad and I had such a good relationship, and I didn't understand why he would not allow me to go. I respectfully continued to finish my college and after college, I began working and helping out at our parish church, Good Shepherd. The call to the priesthood became more intense. I asked my father a second time. The answer was again negative. I strongly felt I had to do this, otherwise, I would regret it. On my own, I applied for the seminary in the Diocese of San Diego. My parents soon realized that they couldn't stop me from entering the seminary, and they finally accepted my request for their approval. I truly felt the hands of God working throughout the whole process for me to become a priest.

I entered St. Francis Seminary at USD in 1994, and then the faculty sent me to St. Patrick's Seminary in San Francisco. I was ordained in 1999 for the Diocese of San Diego. On the day of my ordination, I felt incredible joy, happiness, and peace. My parents and siblings were very happy for me. As a priest, all I wanted was to serve God's people in the celebration of the Eucharist and to gather all people to be united in Christ in the life of service, charity, and love. Through the course of my priesthood, God had shown me his great love and grace in my life as I served the community of St. Mary Star of the Sea, the community of St. Francis' Seminary as vocation director, the community of Holy Family, the community of St. Therese, and the community of Good Shepherd. Even though life and ministries can be difficult sometimes, I would not trade it for anything. To be able to serve others, especially to needy, the marginalized, and the poor because they need the most, gives great satisfaction and affirms my journey's choices.

Thus, I really appreciate Pope Francis always mindful of the ones in the peripheries. Over the years, he has chosen a number of cardinals from areas where they are small and unknown to many people. Pope Francis also opened the Synod on Synodality to hear the voice of the people, especially reaching out to weak, the vulnerable, marginalized, and those on the peripheries. For these reasons, I feel my priesthood is so worthwhile to serve the church and to lead people and cultures to be one in Christ. It is truly a privilege and an honor to become a priest. And now, I am being called to serve the church in a greater capacity as bishop. I don't know what I have, but I hope and pray through the guidance of the Holy Spirit to give me wisdom, knowledge, and strength to take on this task that Pope has entrusted to me to serve God's people.

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