Homily given by Bishop Anthony Randazzo
Bishop of Broken Bay
Ordination to the Priesthood of Deacon Joseph Van Tu Nguyen, OSA
St Kieran’s Catholic Church, Manly Vale
17 December 2024
On this joyful Feast of Saint Ambrose, we come together to give thanks for the grace of God and to celebrate the ordination of Deacon Tu to the Priesthood. It is a day of profound significance, not only because we honour one of the greatest bishops and teachers of the early Church, but also because we witness the beginning of a new chapter in Deacon Tu’s life and ministry.
Through his ordination, he is being entrusted with a special grace, a grace that calls him to serve God and His people in a unique and sacramental way. In our reading from the Letter to the Ephesians, Saint Paul speaks of a grace given to him to preach to the Gentiles the “infinite treasure of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8). This grace was not for his own glory, but for the building up of the Church.
Today, Deacon Tu, you are being called to receive this same grace — to preach the Gospel, to celebrate the sacraments, and to lay down your life in service of God’s people. Saint Ambrose, whom we commemorate, understood this grace deeply. As bishop of Milan, he was entrusted with the care of a large and diverse flock.
He faced many challenges, but did not falter in his commitment to teach the truth of the Gospel and to guide and accompany his people in their journey of faith. Ambrose was a man who saw his ministry as a sacred trust, given to him by God for the salvation of souls. When Saint Augustine, then a young man searching for truth, arrived in Milan, it was Ambrose’s preaching that sparked Augustine’s journey of conversion.
Augustine writes in his Confessions, “I came to Milan, and to Ambrose, its bishop, a man famed throughout the world as one of its very best men, and Your devout worshiper” (Confessions, V, xiii, 23). Ambrose did not simply teach Augustine with words, but with the very example of his life — a life dedicated to the service of Christ and His Church. Deacon Tu, today you are being entrusted with this same special grace. Just as Ambrose’s words and life helped to lead Augustine to the fullness of the faith, so too, your words and actions, as a priest, will be instruments of God’s grace to bring others closer to Jesus Christ.
You will not be alone in this mission. As an Augustinian, you are part of a great tradition of service, of living together in community, and of dedicating yourselves to the mission of the Church in the world.
Saint Paul reminds us in the Letter to the Romans, which you chose for your ordination Mass, that “all of us, in union with Christ, form one body, and as parts of it we belong to each other” (Romans 12:5).
The Church is not a collection of isolated individuals, but a living, breathing Body of Christ. Each member has a vocation to participate in the communion and mission of Jesus, and each is united to the other through the same Jesus Christ.
Deacon Tu, as you are ordained to the priesthood today, you are not simply taking on a personal vocation; you are being drawn into the Body of Christ in a deeper way. The priesthood is not about individual achievement, but about service to the whole Body of Christ.
You are called to be a shepherd to God’s people, to care for them, to teach them, and to offer your life for their salvation. Just as Saint Ambrose’s ministry was not an isolated endeavour, but one deeply connected to the people of Milan, so too your ministry will be a shared mission. You will be called to work in synodal collaboration with your Augustinian confreres, the bishops, your fellow priests, your sisters and brothers in Christ, and the entire Church.
Saint Augustine, whose life was so deeply touched by Saint Ambrose, came to understand this communal dimension of the Church. His conversion was not an individual affair — it was a journey that involved his mother Monica, the prayers of the Church, and the guidance of his spiritual father, Ambrose.
Augustine’s own confession of faith, made with the help of Ambrose’s wisdom, was a public declaration that he was part of something larger, something greater than himself — the Body of Christ.
As you, Deacon Tu, begin your priestly ministry, remember that you are not called to be a solitary figure. You are part of the Body of Christ, united with your fellow priests and your brothers and sisters in the faith. Your vocation is not for your own splendour, but for the building up of the whole Church, for the good of the Body of Christ.
In the Gospel today, Jesus speaks of Himself as the Good Shepherd, who “lays down His life for his sheep” (John 10:11). The life of the priest is one that mirrors the love and sacrifice of the Good Shepherd. This is not a metaphor, but a real and demanding challenge: to put the needs of others above your own, to sacrifice for their good, and to offer your life for their salvation.
Saint Ambrose understood this sacrificial love. His own life was marked by a willingness to stand firm in the face of adversity, to defend the truth, and to care for the spiritual welfare of his people.
When Augustine was struggling with doubts, it was Ambrose who helped him see the truth of the Gospel. It was not an easy task, but Ambrose knew that true love for God and the people of God meant giving all of himself.
Ambrose’s words to Augustine were not simply words of intellectual instruction, but words that called Augustine to a deeper relationship with Christ: “Why do you put it off till tomorrow?” he said, “You could gain it all today” (Epistle LXIII, 97-8).
Deacon Tu, your ordination today is a call to this same sacrificial love. You will be called to lay down your life for the sheep, to lead with humility, and to sacrifice for the good of the people God entrusts to you. This is the heart of the priestly vocation: to love as Christ loves, to give yourself for the sake of others, and to lead by example.
As we celebrate the Feast of Saint Ambrose and witness the ordination of Deacon Tu, let us reflect on the words of Saint Augustine, who was deeply influenced by Ambrose’s wisdom and love. Augustine’s conversion was not just a personal transformation, but a transformation that took place in the context of the Church, within the Body of Christ.
Deacon Tu, your priestly ordination is the beginning of a journey that will be lived in service to God’s people, in communion with your brothers and sisters in the Church, and in the example of the Good Shepherd. May you always draw strength from the example of Saint Ambrose, who challenged Augustine to seek the truth, and may you be inspired to live a life of sacrificial love for the people you serve. May the grace of God, entrusted to you today, be a source of strength and wisdom as you take up the sacred mission of the priesthood.
My dear people, let us pray for Deacon Tu, for all priests, and for the Church, that we may live as faithful members of the Body of Christ, united in love and service to our Lord.
My dear brother, may the Holy Spirit, who has guided you to this moment, abundantly fill you with divine grace and strength.
And may the prayers and intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Saint Ambrose, Saint Augustine, Saint Monica, and all the saints accompany and sustain you for eternal life. Amen.