Province News

In Ministry Dinner

By Fr. Vien Nguyen

There is the time for sowing, time for planting, time for nurturing, and time for harvesting. While the harvest is abundant, the laborers are few (Mt 9:37). 

November 2nd, 2023, was the first “In Ministry Dinner” event hosted by the Province Vocation Office and the community of Corpus Christi in San Francisco. Twenty-five participants were there from Oakland and San Francisco, including some Salesian brothers and priests. The night began at 7:00 p.m. with a social hour, along with food and drinks, giving people time to reconnect with those they know and introduce themselves to people from different places. At 7:30 p.m., Father Vien Nguyen, SDB, invited everyone to join the three decorated tables in the dining area for dinner. Father Vien began with a short introduction on the reasons for having this event and said thank you, everyone, for being there. It needed many hands to make this dinner happen. He invited everyone to join him for an opening prayer and the blessing of the food.

The night continued with the participants enjoying sharing food and exchanging conversations. The smell of the food overwhelmed the room, and the laughter broke out from one table to another. At the end of the dinner time was an open mic, in which Father Vien invited the participants to share their experiences in their ministry, including some best practices. It was an enriching moment for those who were present. The joy of serving others was evident, and the humility in recognizing the presence of God in each moment. The event ended with a Good Night by Father Fabian Cardenas, SDB. Father Vien also took a moment to thank Father Thomas Thodukulam, SDB, the director, and the community of Corpus Christ in San Francisco for their support in hosting the event and providing food for the event. He acknowledged that the event could not have happened without their generosity. Finally, Father Vien concluded the night with three Hail Mary prayers offering the night to our Blessed Mother Mary.

The Vocation Process

Cultivating vocation is a long and necessary process. Each stage of this process is crucial and must be taken seriously. We need to plant, to nurture, and to harvest at an appropriate moment. Therefore, it is not understated to say that the necessity of the young adult ministry reinforces the success of the vocation ministry. Three different reasons could explain it: 

  1. It is necessary to celebrate and support the young adults who are doing ministries in various fields. 
  2. Young people begin to discern their vocations more seriously at the age of young adults. 
  3. The service component is already in the heart of young adults who are in ministry. 

The “In Ministry Dinner” event responds to this demand. While coming together to celebrate, we offer our service of spiritual accompaniment. It allows us to introduce the vocation to the Salesian religious consecrated life. The hope is to find new vocations during these type of events. However, we should not forget that vocation is first a call from God, and it is up to each individual to respond to that invitation. We do not want to disturb the work of the Holy Spirit, and we should not think that our effort primarily decides the outcome. God initiates the call and gives each person the grace to live out their vocation. Our task is to cooperate with God by providing an appropriate environment where each vocation thrives and bears fruits as we hope to continue the SDB vocation for the province and the congregation.