Deacon Hien is ready to be “a priest after Christ’s own heart”
11am
Saturday, 24 August 2024
Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral
23 Yardley Avenue, Waitara
Deacon Hien Vu will be ordained as a priest for the Diocese of Broken Bay on Saturday, 24 August 2024 at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral, Waitara. Deacon Hien Vu is nervous but ready to become an instrument of God through his priestly ministry.
“I am thrilled and open to receiving the grace of ordination,” he said. “I feel a bit nervous, but I pray that, with God's help, I can be a good priest, a good instrument of God to His people, a priest after Christ's own heart.”
Hien’s ordination will be the first priestly ordination for the Diocese of Broken Bay since 2021, when Fr Roger Delmonte, Fr Sam French, and Fr Aldrin Valdehueza were ordained by Bishop Anthony Randazzo.
Throughout the past few months, Deacon Hien has been serving at the Hornsby Cathedral Parish, preaching during Masses and assisting with the pastoral work of the Parish.
“I have involved myself in various aspects of parish life”, he said. “The best part has been getting to know people and accompanying them in and out of my ministry as a deacon. I’ve made a good number of friends. I enjoyed preaching at Mass. I have also dedicated time to teaching in schools, leading small prayer groups and gatherings.”
He said chanting the Exsultet, a proclamation delivered before the paschal candle during the Easter Vigil, has been the highlight of his time as a Deacon. “It was an amazing experience”, he said.
Working alongside the priests of the parish had been invaluable in confirming his calling and preparing for the priesthood.
“The diaconate, involving both preaching the Word and serving at the altar, has prepared me for the proclamation of the Gospels and has also given me the opportunity to lead people in prayer”, he said.
His ordination will be the completion of a long progression to the priesthood, which began in rural southeast Vietnam. Hien was born in 1988 in the district of Thống Nhất in the province of Dong Nai, Vietnam. After pursuing a career in accountancy, he joined the seminary of the Diocese of Xuân Lộc in August 2013.
He transferred to the Diocese of Broken Bay and was received into the Seminary of the Good Shepherd, Homebush in July 2016 as a student for Broken Bay. Over his time in Broken Bay, he has enjoyed many pastoral placements including Chatswood, Kincumber, Gosford, Waitara, North Harbour, Wyong and most extensively a pastoral placement at Epping and Carlingford throughout 2021.
He was ordained as a Deacon on Friday, 24 November 2023, the Feast of the Vietnamese Martyrs, at St Leonard’s Church, Naremburn.
While he doesn’t know where his first assignment as a priest will take him, he said he was excited to serve the people of Broken Bay wherever he was called.
“My desire as a priest is to lead others in praise and worship to God”, Deacon Hien said.
“I encourage people to use their gifts and talents and to foster a sense of unity and harmony in their parish.”
Bishop Anthony Randazzo homily on the ordination to the priesthood of Deacon Joseph Martin Hien Vu (PDF 81.7KB)
Saturday, 24 August 2024 at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral