RESURRECTION and New Life

By Sara Kraft

Father Thanh Nguyen, CSSR currently serves at Holy Martyrs and Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Kansas City. He was born in 1975 in Vietnam and raised by his mother, because his father had to flee the country due to the Communist Party. Father Nguyen and his remaining family lived on in uncertainty, not knowing if his father was alive or dead. Despite the danger, they attended 5 a.m. Mass daily at an underground parish. His mother taught him the catechism and the Old Testament by memory. Nightly, they prayed for his separated family’s safety.

Father Nguyen draws many parallels between his life and the hope of the Resurrection. “It helps me to realize that hundreds of thousands of people escaped (Vietnam). We could not see the future. Those that were left behind could not see hope. But God is always there. This hope gives us freedom and new life. Christ brings us new life.”

“Those that were left behind could not see hope. But God is always there. This hope gives us freedom and new life. Christ brings us new life.”

After 18 years of separation, Father Nguyen and his family came to the United States in 1991 and were reunited with his father. He joined the Redemptorists in 2006 and was ordained in 2014.

Father Nguyen’s whole life is illuminated by the Easter mystery. “For me, the Resurrection is the feast.” He noted many people are afraid to die. Easter brings not only hope but new life. “Christ gives us everlasting life. No one on earth can give us this promise. Only Christ can do this for us and offer this hope.”