I come from an 8,584-mile-away country from America. Vietnam is my home country. I was born and grew up in a small town in the Northern Central of Vietnam and I am a country boy. My parents, Anthony Pham Chi Dong (deceased) and Mary Tran Thi Ly have raised their 6 children, 2 girls and 4 boys, by farming and raising cattle. I am their fifth son.

If you ask me what I impress most about my parents, I could immediately respond that it is their faith and devotion. They are some very devout Catholics. They go to church every day and say the rosary every morning after getting up. They rarely drop any Sunday Mass. Personally, the Catholic faith, my parents’ hard work, and the countryside are things that have had profound influences on my upbringing.

As a child growing up in a small, mountainous town, I was drawn to the priests’ colorful vestments. However, at that time I thought the priesthood was out of my reach since priests were someone holy and extraordinary. Nevertheless, I started thinking the priesthood might be for me after a conversation with one of my older brothers when I was a junior in high school.

The first major achievement in my life was that I passed the university exam in 2005. That I passed the exam at Hue University was my first big success and made me feel extremely happy and excited. As an undergraduate student at this university, I paid much attention to establishing a close relationship with God through daily prayers, retreats, and especially the pilgrimages to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lavang. I have cultivated a special love and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and, I believe, due to her intercession, I have received many graces and blessings from God which nurtured my priesthood vocation.

In 2009, I graduated from Hue University with a bachelor’s degree in TESOL or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. After graduation, I did not work but spent the next two years discerning more about the priesthood and then getting prepared for the exam at St. Francis Xavier Seminary in my home diocese, the Diocese of Ha Tinh.

In 2011, I passed the exam at St. Francis Xavier Seminary. Being a seminarian of this seminary was a great honor not only for me but also for my family. The formation of St. Francis Xavier Seminary has helped me to become more mature and virtuous. By living together with other seminarians, I have established a sense of brotherhood, community life, and especially a sense of unity. One more thing, living in the seminary created a lot of opportunities for me to build up an intimacy with God, the Supreme Root of my priesthood vocation.

In 2015 I graduated from St. Francis Xavier Seminary with a Master of Arts in philosophy. One year later, I was asked by my bishop to come to the United States to continue my formation for the priesthood with the Archdiocese of Louisville. On May 8, 2021, I graduated from St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad, Indiana and earned a master’s degree in theology.

I was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Joseph Kurtz on May 29, 2021, and was assigned to be the Associate Pastor of St. James in Elizabethtown beginning on June 16, 2021. After three years of serving the people of St. James, I have been appointed by Archbishop Shelton Fabre to be the Associate Pastor of St. Patrick beginning on June 19, 2024.

I have always been inspired by the life of loving service to God and the people of the priesthood, especially the parish priest, since my childhood. Serving God in others, especially the poor, with love is my slogan. Therefore, I am so grateful to God that He has called and chosen me to be a priest. My hope for my priesthood is, that with the help of God, I can give myself completely and sincerely for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. I will pour out every drop of my blood and tears for God and the good of His people.