Smiling Vietnamese priest ministers below Mt Ruapehu

Fr Trung Nguyen was ordained a priest in 2020 and has been assistant priest in several regions, but for the first time has his own parish, being the priest for the churches in Ohakune, Raetihi and Taihape in the Waimarino area. He is becoming well known for his cheerful manner and ready smile.

Fr Nguyen has shown great perseverance in overcoming obstacles in his vocation journey. He struggled to pass the English proficiency test to be admitted to the seminary in Auckland. Coming from a small rural area in Vietnam, he never learned English. He failed the test 12 times but kept going and passed on the 13th occasion.

“Lucky 13,” he smiled. “I knew that my dream, my vocation, was to be a priest in New Zealand.”

And now that he is parish priest for the Ohakune region he has found Te Reo Māori much easier to learn, and he can celebrate Mass in Te Reo. He says the vowels in the Māori and Vietnamese languages are similar, not like English.

One of the music directors at the Ohakune church, Vera Wilson, attests that his Te Reo Māori pronunciation is very good. “And in addition, he can really sing,” she said.

Fr Nguyen also has embraced another local culture, including skiing. He has had one lesson this season.

“It was frustrating,” he said, “but in the end I could stand and ski down. Not from the top or anything, but I’m going to try again next season.”

His parents are visiting soon from Vietnam. They have never seen snow, so he is hoping to take them up the mountain to see real snow.

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Ohakune.info (By Catherine Strong/Ruapehu Bulletin)