Celebrating the Mass with Bishop Kham were Fr. Provincial Joseph Pham Tuan Nghia, SJ, 180 priests, and about 3,000 guests comprising family, relatives, and friends of the ordinands.
In his homily, Bishop Kham reminded the ordinands of Jesus’ command: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” He encouraged them to follow in the footsteps of Saint Francis Xavier, a great Jesuit missionary in Asia, by becoming true missionary disciples of Jesus and proclaiming the Good News to God’s people. Emphasizing the role of witnesses, the bishop repeatedly urged all participants to move beyond self-love, power, and money, committing themselves to altruistic love and service.
He invited them to be spiritual fighters for the Lord’s Gospel “to the ends of the earth,” embodying the spirit of Saint Ignatius’ Prayer for Generosity: “To fight and not to heed the wounds, to labor and not to seek to rest…” Furthermore, the bishop expressed his hope for the Jesuits in Vietnam to have a restless heart in dedicating themselves to the evangelizing mission in Vietnam and the world.
After the Communion prayer, Fr Joseph Pham Tuan Nghia, SJ on behalf of the Vietnamese Jesuit Province, the new priests, and their families expressed his gratitude to Bishop Kham, priests, religious, benefactors, and relatives and friends near and far of the newly ordained who shared their solidarity in many different ways. Fr. Nghia wished for the new priests to be friends of the Lord and to become “like heavy grains of rice that bow their heads to live humbly like Jesus.
Highlights Video of the Ordination:
