BRIDGEPORT— The ministerial life is a calling to empty yourself by serving others so that they may live more fully in Christ, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano said as he ordained Anh Vu to the transitional diaconate on Saturday at St. Augustine Cathedral.
On a stormy morning, the Bishop praised Deacon Vu, a native of Vietnam and former mechanical engineer, as a “man of prayer and fidelity, and a humble man” before a gathering of almost 200 family, friends, priests deacons and religious.
“Despite the rain and the chill in the air outside, our hearts are on fire,” the bishop said of the pride and joy many felt as Anh Vu became a transitional deacon, the last step before his ordination to the priesthood in June.
In a beautiful ceremony with readings and music performed in Vietnamese and English, Minh Ngoc Vu and Regina Denner served as Readers, and Mr.An Ngoc Phan and Mrs. Thu Thi-Le Nguyen served as gift bearers. The music was provided by the Vietnamese Choir of the Cathedral Parish.
The bishop said that every road to ordination is unique and that Anh Vu’s eleven-year pilgrimage from Saigon to the transitional diaconate involved challenges and suffering. He praised Deacon Vu and his family for their faith and sacrifice.
“Eleven years is long time but compared to eternity, it’s the blink of an eye,: he said to Anh Vu, “How blessed we are that you persevered.”
The Bishop said that the sacred rite of ordination conforms a deacon to a different definition of service than the world understands.
“You are not living in action, but living in Christ. You will be a self-emptying offering –a living sacrament of service. You are being configured to a life emptied out for the good of others,” he said.
The Bishop urged Deacon Vu to always remember that when he preaches to others, he must also live by his own words.
“Hold yourself accountable, become a living gospel and a living bridge in charity. Live what you say, and say only what you mean,” the Bishop said to Deacon Vu, so that other people may see a “purity of heart and a glimpse of Christ” in his witness.
Referring to deacons as “Marines of charity,” the Bishop said they “go where everyone else is afraid to go,” and he urged Deacon Vu to serve those who are alone, unwanted, and have nowhere else to turn by becoming “the face of the living God to them.”
The Bishop praised Deacon Vu’s parents who were unable to attend the ordination but are expected to travel from Vietnam in June when both Deacon Vu and his brother, a transitional deacon in diocese of Brooklyn, will be ordained to the priesthood.
During the Rite of Ordination of Deacons, which followed the Gospel (Matthew 20: 25B-28), Anh Vu was called forward before the altar, where the bishop asked him to declare his resolve to accept the duties and responsibilities of the Diaconate . A litany of Supplication followed, asking for the intercession of the Saints.
After the laying on of hands upon the head of the elect, the Bishop led the Prayer of Ordination that invoked the Holy Spirit upon Deacon Vu to impart the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
Anh Vu was then vested as a Deacon by Fr. Peter Vu, Pastor of Our lady of Vietnam Catholic Church in Riversdale, Georgia.
Principal Concelebrants of the Ordination Mass included Fr. Juan Gabriel Acosta, Vice-chancellor and rector, St. Augustine’ Cathedral Church; Fr. Francis T. Hoffman, Vicar for Clergy; Fr. Peter Lenox, Vicar for Liturgy and Worship; Fr. Arthur Mollenhauer, Judicial Vicar; Fr. Marco Pacciana, Director, Redemptoris Mater Seminary; Fr. Brian Kiely, Rector, Pope S.t John XXIII National Seminary, Fr. Joseph Marcello, Director of Seminarian Formation; Fr. Vincent Daily, Spiritual Director Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary.
Deacon Joseph Huong, and Deacon Colin Lomnitzer served as Deacons of the Mass, while diocesan seminarians were altar servers.
The musical program was directed by Dr. William Atwood (Organist and Diocesan Director of Music Ministry) and Douglas Tran ( director of the Vietnamese Choir) featuring Ava Wing (soprano), Cheryl Zilinyi (alto), James white (tenor), Frank Zilinyi (bass) and Jennifer Trahan (violinist).
Photos by Tina Sommers
About Deacon Vu
Deacon Anh Vu was born into a Catholic family in Dong Nai, Vietnam on Sep 17, 1985. He has seven siblings. Before discerning a call to the priesthood, he was a mechanical engineer and worked in Saigon. During his seven years in Saigon, he served as sacristan, altar server, and catechist for children on Sundays at Holy Family Parish in Saigon for seven years.
“In Saigon, I also went with my pastor to visit the sick in their homes and hospitals. All of these works were my first experiences in the ministry and mission of the church. Spending time with our Lord Jesus in the chapel and serving his people motivated me to enter the seminary,” he said.
In 2011, Anh Vu moved to Connecticut to study. After a long time of discernment, he made the decision to enter St. John Fisher Seminary of the Diocese of Bridgeport, where he finished his BA in philosophy. He earned degrees from Su Pham Ky Thuat University Saigon, Vietnam in 2008, and from Sacred Heart University Fairfield 2016.
Anh Vu is completing his studies and formation at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary. He is a resident of Stamford and a member of The Parish of St. Cecilia and St. Gabriel in Stamford.
