Vietnamese Jesuit Nguyễn Văn Toàn SJ was ordained to the Diaconate by Tokyo Archbishop Tarcisius Kikuchi Isao SVD on 6 March in the chapel of the Scholasticate at Wakamiya in Tokyo.
Deacon Toàn was born in 1982 as the youngest of four siblings. He entered the Society of Jesus in 2008, a few years after finishing his studies at the University of Technical Education in Ho Chi Minh City. He says he chose the Jesuits for a very simple reason: “While I was student, I would attend the five-day retreat given to students once a year, and I loved it. That is why I am a Jesuit today.”
Having grown up in a small and poor village in the north of Vietnam, Deacon Toàn used to dream of earning a lot of money to take care of his mother. His father had passed away when Toàn was only five years old. Choosing his vocation as a Jesuit was a difficult discernment decision for him. “I have done nothing for my mother except to keep her and my family in my prayers,” he says. It became more difficult when he had to leave Vietnam for his Regency in Japan in 2013. “It meant that I had very few chances of seeing her and my siblings, and also my friends. I had to leave my relationships behind to move forward, but it also helped me to trust and put my life in the hands of God.”
It is clear why he chose “the provision of God” as the theme of his ordination, and Jeremiah 1:4-9, Psalm 119:33-40, Romans 12:1-2, and Mathew 6:25-34 as the readings. “Looking back on my vocation, I recognise that God is always with me,” he says.
As a Deacon, Toàn looks forward to being with the people and helping them through the sacraments. He sees himself as God’s “pipe” to serve His people. “As an instrument, I belong to Him. And as a pipe, I can transmit His Grace to people by celebrating the sacraments.”
Deacon Toàn is finishing his theology studies at Sophia University. Early on, he had planted 200 tulips in the scholasticate’s garden that had begun to sprout and grow, much like his vocation. On 1 April he will join the vocation promotions team of the Japanese Province.