Dcn. Phúc's Blog: My Vocation Story (Part 2)

In Part 1 (https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2024/01/my-vocation-story-part-1-st-brendan.html), I shared about my early childhood encounter with Jesus Christ at St. Brendan School in New Haven, CT. It was not until my second year in college at UT-Austin that God called me home to Rome through my future wife - Theresa. We met through a student organization's lion / dragon dance team and, before we broke for the summer, I asked her to be my girlfriend. She said "yes". (Thank goodness!)

While I did not go to temple or really practiced by Buddhist faith, she was a devout Catholic and made sure that she went to Mass every Sunday and on holy days of obligation. Many young adults stray from their faith during their college years (as I would learn later on while working with engaged couples preparing for the Sacrament of Marriage), she not only did not stray from her faith but her devotion to her Catholic faith got me exploring the faith as well.

A few years into our relationship, she invited me to attend Mass with her. I remember my first few times at St. Albert the Great Catholic Church. I went through the whole stand-sit-kneel (repeat). As I listened Fr. Bill Brooks give his homilies (in his usual dramatic style), I thought to myself: "what in the world am I getting myself into?" From a cultural/traditional standpoint, I was determined to remain Buddhist and not convert to Catholicism because I was the eldest son in the family. However, what really struck me was, neither Theresa nor her parents ever brought up converting to Catholicism during our almost 8-year relationship.

Over time, God chipped away at the wall that I was building our my heart to keep Jesus out. He did this through our UNITAS sponsor couple for marriage preparation, my Sunday experience going to Mass, our relationship with Fr. Isidore (who was doing our marriage paperwork), and, of course, Theresa. Then, a month after our formal engagement during Thanksgiving of 2006, the wall came tumbling down. I asked Theresa to attend classes with me. She was a bit confused because we had completed all the classes for marriage prep. I told her it is classes for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (R.C.I.A.). God was calling me home to Rome, and so my faith journey began with Inquiry Sessions with Deacon Al C. and lots of questions.

At the Easter Vigil in 2008 (March 22nd), 2 months shy of our 1 year anniversary as husband and wife, I was received into the Catholic Church - Baptism, Confirmation, Reconciliation, and Eucharist. It was good to be home but God was not done with me yet. . .