On August 15, Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Vietnamese Jesuit Fr Dominic Pham Minh Thang pronounced his Final Vows in a Mass presided by Vietnamese Jesuit Provincial Fr Pham Van Mam at the Sacred Heart Novitiate in Ho Chi Minh City. Fr Thang pronounced his Final Vows before a large presence of Jesuits and priests, religious sisters, benefactors, family and relatives. 

In his homily, Fr Mam said that like Mary, who said “yes” to God’s plan, Fr Thang is making an eternal vow after 20 years in the Society to serve the Lord through his Jesuit vocation. His journey is similar to Mary’s journey of bringing God to others.  

In his response, Fr Thang borrowed the words of former Jesuit Superior General Fr Peter-Hans Kolvenbach in his address to tertians: “He consequently lets God take hold of him anew, in the totality of his life, because God is and demands to become more and more his only God; and the tertian accepts to be led through the paschal path of the One who wants to associate him definitively with His saving mission.” 

At the end of the Mass, Fr Thang thanked God for his Jesuit vocation and the Society of Jesus who like a loving mother takes care of him. He also expressed his gratitude to the older Jesuits who have accompanied and supported him in his vocation journey. Finally, he thanked his family, relatives and friends for joining and praying for him in this important event of his life. 

After the Mass the congregation gathered for a simple and intimate meal together. [Dòng Tên Việt Nam]