Seminarian Binh

Binh, a devout seminarian from the Archdiocese of Hanoi in Vietnam, comes from a Catholic rice-farming family. His brother and younger sister are married; the elder sister is a religious sister.

Proclaiming the Faith under Communism

Binh burns with the desire to infect many people with the joy of faith through the faithful proclamation of the Word of God. In this way, the faith has been preserved and passed down through generations in his family, even through difficult times and the cruel persecution of Christians. The latter has produced many martyrs in Vietnam, and the seed of their courageous witness, sealed with their blood, is bearing fruit: more and more people are becoming interested in the Catholic faith; the Catholic Church is experiencing a new awakening.

The example of his deeply devout parish priest, whom Binh came to know well during his time as an altar server, further deepened his faith, as did the countless faith courses he held. This man of prayer was always ready to serve—especially the poor and children. He also helped Binh understand and discover his vocation. His experience of being called is deeply etched in his heart: it was during Holy Mass that he clearly heard an inner voice speaking to him: “God died for you, died for you!” He could not hold back his tears and had to weep. Moved and deeply touched, he offered his whole life to Jesus in that moment. When his parish priest noticed that Binh was considering a possible vocation to the priesthood, he advised him: “Pray, pray… and think of others!”

The same priest later arranged for him to go to a parish near the university where Binh was studying civil law. This allowed him, during those four years, to take part in the diocese’s weekly faith courses and formation sessions together with 92 seminarians. After completing his law studies, he entered the diocesan seminary there at the age of 23. Since 2017 he has been studying philosophy at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, preparing with great joy for his future priestly ministry.

A Beacon of Hope for the Church in Asia

After the Philippines, Vietnam is the great beacon of hope for the Church in Asia. Even though the free exercise of faith is still restricted by the Communist state, the Catholic Church has gained a certain degree of freedom thanks to the 2016 Law on Belief and Religion. We ask you wholeheartedly: support seminarians like Binh actively with your prayer and, if at all possible, with your generous donation! He is filled with the desire to soon make Christ tangible as a priest for his fellow countrymen in this so deeply afflicted land, so that Vietnam may grow morally and spiritually, and the faith may continue to flourish.