Ready to Serve
by Br. Daryl Charron, c.pp.s., Vietnam Mission Director
On the morning of April 7, 2018, four
Missionaries of the Precious Blood in the Vietnam
Mission promised fidelity to our Congregation. It
caused me great joy to hand out mission crosses to
each of these men as they promised to live the bond
of charity for the rest of their lives. It was both reas-
suring and reaffirming to witness this, having been
a part of their formation these past few years. Diep,
Ky, Hao and Hoa were truly ready to take on this
lifelong commitment.
What especially impresses me about these new
missionaries is their willingness and availability to
serve. I recall one of them saying to me, “I will go
wherever you want to send me with the help of God.”
Those are the kind of words mission directors love to
hear. I admire such openness to the opportunities of
the future, whatever they may be. It is crucial to have
such an attitude as each of us in the Vietnam Mission
take to heart the suggestions for improvement given
to us recently by both the Moderator General and
the Provincial Director after their visitations to the
Vietnam Mission.
These young missionaries show a lot of poten-
tial, especially in their teaching abilities and service
among the poor in rural Vietnam. I know it is not
easy for them to leave some of the comforts of the
big city in order to take on the challenges of living
the simple life of the countryside. Those of us in the
Vietnam Mission are grateful for the opportunity to
serve in such a way, for example, in our new mission
at Tan Thanh. This is only just a beginning for these
young men as they continue to sharpen their pastoral
skills in serving the people of this area.
Those of us who have been in our Community for
many years can do well do pause for a moment and
remember our own commitment to the Congregation
and appreciate the availability of our new members.
This spirit of openness is reflected in the words of
our founder St. Gaspar, who said, “We shall go wher-
ever God wishes and if God so wishes. I am hope-
ful.” Gaspar cared deeply for the seminarians of his
time as they prepared to carry out the mission of the
Congregation he helped form with his early members.
Hoa Vu, Hao Pham, Ky Phung, Diep Vu
Gaspar’s care for seminarians is obvious in his letter
to Fr. Raffaele Rosati, to whom he wrote, “I kept think-
ing about your placement in such a way that, with
greater possibilities, you would be able to cultivate
better the talents given to you by God. From this you
will realize that I would like to have you well-informed
for the purposes of our Institute and, in time, for the
extension of our apostolate.” As Diep, Ky, Hao and Hoa
anticipate receiving their own official placements from
the Provincial, may they take to heart these words of
Gaspar as they cultivate their talents and look at the
greater possibilities of their ministries.
We can only imagine what Gaspar’s response
would be to one of our missionaries in the Vietnam
Mission who said that he would go anywhere. I be-
lieve that it would fill him with joy to see such a will-
ingness to serve the people of God. This is evident in
his letter to Fr. Mattia Cardillo, to whom he wrote, “I
praise greatly your holy conformity to the will of God
to go anywhere. This is a true characteristic of an
apostolic person. May the Lord ever increase in you
the zeal for his glory.”
That is the same prayer I have today for Diep, Ky,
Hao and Hoa. May they always conform their wills to
God and foster a zeal for His glory.
June 2018 • The New Wine Press • 15