“Faith is God’s gift, received in baptism, and not our own work, yet parents are the means that God uses for it to grow and develop,” writes Pope Francis in his book Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love). To get a sense of the vocational journey that parents witness in their child’s formation of faith, we spoke with the parents of priests in the Archdiocese of Vancouver.
Mr. Tong Lê and Mrs. Mai Nguyễn (Le) are the parents of recently ordained Father Patrick Le, who is now an assistant pastor at St. Matthew’s Parish in Surrey. They are also long-time parishioners of St. Patrick’s Parish in Maple Ridge, their home church. Both Mr. and Mrs. Le credit St. Patrick’s Parish and Father Richard Au for playing a crucial role in their son's discerning to join the seminary and become a priest.
Can you describe Father Patrick at a young age?
Mr: Le: Before the seminary, he was really picky. He wanted to do things his way. Even from the way he’s eating, he asked his Mom to cook a different meal every day.
Mrs. Le: I’m a hairstylist and when Patrick was 4, I would bring him to work. He always brought his notebook and a pen. One day I asked him, “What are you writing in the book?” And he said, “I’m writing the Bible.” He showed me the book and there were drawings of different shapes, a square or a dot, things like that, then a heart and a cross. I asked him, “What is this for?” He said, “It’s a heart for the mother. Mother Maria. And the cross is Jesus.” In my mind, I thought that this boy is going to become a priest. But I kept it to myself. I just kept praying.
How did you react to him going to the seminary?
Mrs. Le: It was a big reaction. He was in Grade 6 and we said, “No, no.” We thought he was too young to think that way.
Mr. Le: Then one of my wife’s customers, a former seminarian, came to us for a haircut. He just asked one question: “If your child wants to play soccer, would you tell him to wait until he’s 25 years old to start playing? Or would you let him play right now?” Only a simple question like that caught our hearts. I said, “Okay, we should let him go.”
What have you learned as parents witnessing him become the person he is today?
Mr. Le: Do simple things. Pray. A little bit of reading the Bible at night. Pray before meals. In restaurants, at home, by yourself. Pray or make the sign of the cross. Just something simple. I think that God responds to our belief, and he answers with what we need. For the parents considering sending their children to the seminary, don’t discourage sending them. From there they can learn discipline, how to associate with their friends in a nice way. If your kids want to join a seminary, encourage them.
Brian and Monica Conlin are the parents of Father Richard Conlin, who is currently in Rome for two years of theology studies. They are parishioners at Christ the Redeemer Parish in West Vancouver but belonged to St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Richmond for over 30 years. Mr. and Mrs. Conlin mention Father Fernando from Opus Dei, Bishop Joseph Nguyen of Kamloops, and Vicar General Msgr. Smith as instrumental figures in the support of their son throughout his vocational journey.
What was your son like when he was young?
Mrs. Conlin: Richard grew up in a practising Catholic family. Certain events enriched his faith journey. I brought him to daily morning Mass when possible and I consecrated both our sons to the Blessed Virgin Mary when they were in elementary school. We both believed that it was very important to raise our sons in Catholic schools.
What changed in the pursuit of his dream?
Mr. Conlin: Richard loved sports. He loved to compete and win in every sport he played. He tried a variety of sports. However, when he discovered the game of golf at the age of 9, he found his passion and love. When he started to win golf tournaments, he focused on going to the US on a NCAA Division 1 Golf scholarship. He secured one at St. Mary’s College in California. He was living his dream.
Mrs. Conlin: In his last year of school, a girlfriend enthusiastically introduced him to a book, Heaven is for Real. Richard read the book and called me to say, “Mom, you must read it! I stayed up all night reading this book!” That year, I asked him to go to confession for my birthday in March. When he came home in June, the first thing he said was, “Mom, I haven’t gone to confession. Who should I see?” In the meantime, I had joined Opus Dei, and I knew they would take care of not only Richard but, more importantly, his soul. He went to Father Fernando. Going to confession changed his life. He had a completely new beginning. He started reading Catholic books and watching videos. We saw this interest in his faith increase and, eventually, a vocation to the priesthood.
Mr. Conlin: Richard read a lot of Catholic books to defend his faith too. He had some friends who were atheists and challenged him on his faith. That summer, he wasn’t working and was able to go to daily Mass and read two to three books a week.
Were his desires to pursue his vocation easy to accept?
Mrs. Conlin: Very easy. One thing I never wanted to do was to stand in the way of the Lord. It was beautiful to watch his journey and how God eventually brought him back home to the Catholic Church and then to the priesthood.
What has been your favourite part of witnessing his journey?
Mrs. Conlin: My favourite part was seeing first-hand the growth in his faith, his commitment to his Church, and his personal growth … which all led him to say “yes” to joining the Seminary.
Mr. Conlin: The change of Richard as a person, as a leader and as a priest at Corpus Christi parish in serving his people.
If you are interested in discussing a vocation to the priesthood, call (604) 443-3254 ext. 429, email [email protected], or visit our website rcav.org/vocations-office. For women, visit rcav.org/womens-vocations.
The stories of parents of priests that we’ve shared remind us of the profound influence of parents on our lives, particularly in matters of faith. With Mother’s Day and Father’s Day approaching, we invite you to reflect on and share how your parents’ religious faith has influenced your own faith life through the traditions, values, teaching, and spiritual guidance they provided. By sharing these stories, we can show others the powerful ways faith is passed from one generation to the next. Send your letters and stories to [email protected] with the subject line Faith of our Parents and we’ll publish a selection of them.