On July 1st and 2nd, 2025, the Redemptorist Province of Vietnam solemnly celebrated two important liturgies at the Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Saigon: The Mass of First and Perpetual Religious Profession, then the Mass of Priestly and Diaconate Ordination.
On the morning of July 1st, sixteen brothers professed their vows in the Congregation, including eight who made their first profession and eight professing perpetual vows. The Mass was presided over by the Provincial Superior, Fr. Dominic Nguyễn Đức Thông, with the homily delivered by Fr. Vincent Phạm Cao Quý. The joy of the profession was deepened by the presence of three professed brothers belonging to ethnic minority communities. As of now, the Province has 390 religious members, including 268 priests—making it the largest Redemptorist province in the world.
The following morning, July 2nd, the Mass of Ordination to the Priesthood and Diaconate was celebrated, presided over by Most Rev. Joseph Bùi Công Trác, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Saigon. Eleven brothers were ordained priests, and ten others were ordained deacons. In his homily, Bishop Joseph emphasized that ordination is not a promotion in rank or status, but rather the beginning of a new phase of service—one that is challenging, but also full of hope when one remains rooted in Christ and places Him at the center of life. He encouraged the newly ordained to become faithful servants, entrusted with the mission of sharing God’s grace to His people.
These two grace-filled days concluded in an atmosphere of reverence, devotion, and heartfelt thanksgiving. The Province invites the faithful to continue to pray for the newly professed and newly ordained, that they may remain faithful to their vocation and serve the Gospel with zeal—especially among the poor and the most abandoned.
Fr. Anthony Nam, CSsR.
