On Tuesday, November 17, Fr. Quang Tran, S.J., gave the Thanksgiving Agape Latte talk. He began his talk with a set of questions: “Where’s home? Where do I belong? Where do I no longer feel like a stranger? Where do I seek refuge?”
Fr. Tran then explained that the story he would share was more than just his story. It was primarily the story of his family, but he also took a moment to remember those refugees and migrants who would never have the chance to share their story.
His story began with the description of his parents’ flight from Vietnam. His mother escaped in 1975 when the Communists invaded Southern Vietnam; his father’s family remained for a few years under the Communist regime. Finally, his father escaped in 1980, fleeing in a small motorboat.Then, Fr. Tran connected this story of fleeing refugees to everyone: “We are all seeking refuge, until we reach our final destination…heaven.”
Skipping forward many years, Fr. Tran described his experience growing up in New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans has a large Vietnamese community anchored by the first Vietnamese parish in the United States: Mary, Queen of Vietnam. This parish would produce the first Vietnamese-American priest and bishop, Dominic Luong. His parents met in the church choir at Mary, Queen of Vietnam. “Our lives revolved around that church,” Fr. Tran said.
The Vietnamese community in New Orleans was overwhelmingly Catholic. Many were grateful to Catholic Relief Services and the Jesuit Refugee Service for their relocation to the United States. Their trials were far from over once they arrived. Fr. Tran described the racism and discrimination that members of the community faced, which continues to this day.
After describing the thriving Catholic community in New Orleans, Fr. Tran turned to the origins of his family’s flight. The first flight began when the Communists took over North Vietnam. Along with many other Catholics, Fr. Tran’s grandparents fled the North. His maternal grandmother carried a silver crucifix that traveled with his family all the way to his parents’ house in New Orleans. He explained that fleeing with crucifixes and statues of Christ and the saints was a common experience among Catholic refugees from Vietnam. Fr. Tran relayed a story about a small boy carrying a statue of Mary as he fled––“We thought we were carrying Mary, but she was carrying us.”
Fr. Tran then spoke about one of his greatest heroes, his uncle. At the last moment, as Fr. Tran’s father and his family were boarding a boat for the United States, the uncle decided to stay in Vietnam. When the uncle’s mother begged him to come, he replied, “Who’s going to keep the Faith?” At that point, the uncle was a seminarian nearing ordination, but the Communists told him, “You’ll never be a priest.” He replied, “God has called me to this life. I will live celibately as long as I live.” He then served the Church as a catechist and Eucharistic Minister for 13 years. This was no small job. It involved sneaking bread and wine to the priests in prison and smuggling the Eucharist out to the faithful. Finally, after 13 years of serving the Church like this, he was ordained.
Fr. Tran said of his uncle, “He kept the Faith even when the whole world was falling apart.” One of his uncle’s lessons really stuck with Fr. Tran: “All is grace. We live for the next life.” His uncle was present at Fr. Tran’s ordination and preached the homily in Vietnamese at Fr. Tran’s Mass of Thanksgiving.
Drawing the talk to a close Fr. Tran answered the opening questions, “No matter where I go, and I see a Catholic Church, or see a rosary dangling from a rear-view mirror, or celebrate Mass, I feel at home. And I remember that all is grace.”
Fr. Tran finished in thanksgiving, “All my family members, when they finish telling these stories of flight, end with ‘Thank You, God.’”
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