Print Issue: August 1, 2002

New Priests Studied Science First, Then Went To Rome For Seminary

Msgr. Francis Pham Van Phuong, pastor of Our Lady of Vietnam Church, Riverdale, joins fellow priests in laying hands upon Father Dung Nguyen. Father Richard Morrow, assistant vicar for clergy, top left, awaits his moment to pray for the young priest. (Photos by Michael Alexander) Father Theodore Book joins Archbishop John F. Donoghue and his brother priests at the altar for the Liturgy of the Eucharist at his ordination.

By Priscilla Greear, Staff Writer

ATLANTA - Both have degrees in computer science and have worked in their fields, putting good minds to practical use. Both have studied in Rome.

Now Father Theodore Book and Father Dung Nguyen begin their work as priests to teach the faithful the programmatic language of God's love and to lead them to receive their daily input and operating instructions from Christ.

Father Book, who grew up in Atlanta, earned a bachelor's degree from Georgia Tech, had an Internet design company on the side, and worked for a year in computer software consulting.

Father Nguyen escaped at 9 from communist Vietnam with his aunt, spending six months in a Singapore refugee camp before coming to the United States. After attending Catholic high school he went on to earn a degree in math and computer science from St. Michael's College in Santa Fe, N.M. He worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and at the Veterans Administration in computer programming.

Both men attended seminary in Rome, Father Book at the Gregorian University, and Father Nguyen at St. Thomas University, where he also completed a licentiate in canon law. Father Book will return to Rome in the fall to complete his licentiate from the Pontifical Liturgical Institute.

Yet they literally stand in contrast to each other, as Father Book at 6-foot-7 towers over a beaming Father Nguyen. Their ordination was celebrated July 13 at the Cathedral of Christ the King.

In his homily the archbishop expressed gratitude to God for the gift of the priesthood, the primary means through which grace is channeled to the faithful through the sacraments of the Eucharist and penance.

"Our first, our deepest gratitude, (for priesthood) must be to God . . . who envisioned all our needs, and who provided for us, through the actions of His only Son, our dear Lord, a Priesthood . . . to offer the sacrifice, to bring the Body and Blood of the Savior among us, as we struggle with time and sin, as we journey through our days."

Referring to the counsel of chastity, the archbishop said, "Your celibacy is an active pledge, both to God, and to those you serve, that you are, and will remain exclusively, God's representative, offering the gift of your single state, as part of the sacrifice you make, to God, for your own sins, and for the sins of the Faithful."

Regarding poverty, "We priests pursue a special kind of wealth - the wealth of giving everything away, including our own self, so that others may have more of what God has put in us - the example of depending utterly and only upon Him, and His Church."

Obedience to God comes through suffering, as it did for Christ, he noted. He called the new priests to become great through service as Christ commanded. "While this lesson is for all, it is especially meant for our Priests, who, though at the head of the assembly, to offer the sacrifice, still must remain humble, in order to remain good Priests . . . May they never forget the meaning these words convey - the very humility and servanthood of Christ Himself, whose love for those who He came to save, for us, knows no bounds."

"May you yourselves . . . gain this gift - the martyrdom of your self, of your ego - and the rising in you of the person and character of Christ, who from this day, the day of your Priestly Ordination, must alone, rule in your heart."

The men affirmed their intent to serve and promised respect and obedience to the archbishop and his successors. The archbishop, followed by fellow priests, extended his hands in prayer over each of the men, invoking the Holy Spirit through whose power the church ordains those called to be priests. The new priests then joined the archbishop at the altar for the celebration of the Eucharist.

Father Nguyen's parents, My and Nhan Nguyen, expressed deep gratitude and happiness for the opportunity to offer their son to God in priesthood, and pray for his vocation. They now have houses in Atlanta and New Orleans to be with family in both places. With her sister, Sister Josephine Nang Nguyen, OP, translating, his mother, wearing a wine colored aó dài, or traditional Vietnamese dress, said her son is a "very honest person, very open to learning new things and also (a) very good leader, very good at prayer, deeply prayerful."

Sister Nguyen recalled his prayerful spirit as a boy when he escaped with her from Vietnam. "He went to Mass with me every single day in the (refugee) camp. I asked him to pray before he goes to sleep every single day. He's a very obedient person, very thoughtful," she said.

"He's the fourth in the family to be a priest. It's very exciting for us. I do believe my mother was the one who taught us a lot about religion, we got a lot of that from my parents," said Sister Nguyen.

Ann Laiche, executive director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in New Orleans, appreciates Father Nguyen's loving spirit and the warmth and hospitality of his entire family.

"He's such a prayerful man and he always smiles. He's got a happy spirit, the whole family . . . everyone is made to feel welcome in (their) home," she said.

"He received several awards for developing computer programs at the VA hospital used across the country. He's very, very brilliant."

Laiche often went fishing with Father Nguyen, whose family house in New Orleans is on the gulf.

"He always brings Christ into any situation he's in. We would pray for fish," she said. "Doing work for the poor it's not always easy and to have the support of Father Dung and Father Michael (his brother), it makes it easier for me when you have those bad days. I always look them up and talk to them for support. They're just wonderful people. They don't get any better. It may just be in a word or the touch and it just means so much."

As Father Book was very interested in science, engineering and computers growing up, his father Wayne Book, an engineering professor, recalled the feeling of "total shock" when he announced his senior year of high school to him and his wife, Judith, a Methodist, his interest in religious life. He noted how as he and many Catholics often feel distanced from their priests and don't know where they came from, having one spring up in one's family suddenly makes them seem a lot more human - real people with everyday struggles.

"It's almost mysterious and you can't attribute it to anything but the Holy Spirit. I can't take any credit for it . . . I don't think we were models of encouragement for anyone to follow religious life. As a mixed marriage, we've struggled with having to be true to our own beliefs and raise a family and maybe this made an impression to the kids as you realize and work out the details," he said.

He believes that dealing with the aftermath of the church's sexual abuse scandal will be a struggle for his son, and is bothered by the way many now see all priests as suspect. Nevertheless, he said, "I'm pleased with his choice. It seems to be the right thing for him and that's the most important thing for him and Christ's work and the church, to have priests that are truly called and dedicated. I just pray he'll be able to serve the faithful and use his talents."

He and his wife both spoke of their son's dedication, commitment and strong intellect.

"He's incredibly bright, I have to say," he said. "I think he's going to have to work to . . . keep in touch with the people going through normal struggles, who come with all sorts of problems, weaknesses and strengths."

His mother added, "He's very much an intellectual. He's always read all his life."

"I'm very happy for him if that's what he really wants to do. He seems to be feeling strongly about it," she said, while his brother is an active Methodist. "He's very concerned about other people. He's very pious and religious and he's very much along the lines of the church."

Standing over his parents, Judith and Wayne Book, Father Theodore Book gives them a blessing in the parish hall of the Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta.

Members of Father Theodore Book's family attend his rite of ordination to the priesthood at the Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta.

Nhan Nguyen, second from left, mother of newly ordained Father Dung Nguyen, joins her siblings, Sister Huong Nguyen, LHC, of Vietnam, Sister Josephine Nguyen, OP, of Louisville, Ky., and Father James Bach Nguyen, pastor of St. Gertrude Church, Des Allemands, La., during the reception.

Father Dung Nguyen, left, one of two priests ordained July 13, joins Archbishop John F. Donoghue at the altar during the eucharistic prayer of his ordination Mass.

Rev. Mr. Dung Nguyen prostrates himself in an act of solemn prayer during the rite of ordination to the priesthood. In the background his family joins in singing the Litany of the Saints.

Father Dung Nguyen, second from left, and Father Theodore Book, third from left, stand by as their fathers, My Nguyen and Wayne Book, present the gifts of wine to Archbishop John F. Donoghue during the offertory.