One catechumen shares her journey of finding God, faith
Thuy Vuong is preparing to receive the sacraments of initiation at St. Joseph of the Palisades Parish in West New York. Vuong recently participated in the Rite of Election at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark.
The Rite of Election is usually celebrated on the first Sunday of Lent. The catechumens, their godparents, and their families gather in the cathedral. The catechumens publicly express to the Archbishop their desire for baptism, and their names are written in the book of the elect. Each year the catechumens who will be baptized at the Easter Vigil are summoned to this rite.
Vuong, who is in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) program through the Archdiocese of Newark and her local parish, shared the personal story of her conversion with Jersey Catholic.
“My family emigrated to Montreal, Canada, when I was 4-years-old,” Vuong said. “My parents worked long hours, which left my siblings and me more independence, even in matters of religion. My mother has always been a devout Buddhist who meditated and prayed daily. My father is an atheist who loves music and plays the guitar every day. I inherited my love of music from my father and followed in my mother’s footsteps in religion.”
Thuy recalls her childhood and said, “I grew up surrounded by all things Catholic: Montreal, Canada is a city built upon the Catholic faith. I am very familiar with all the saints, as the streets of Montreal are named after saints. When I was in elementary school, I was mistakenly placed in the Catholic religious program instead of the morals class that non-Catholics take. My best friend at the time came from a devoutly Catholic household, and I used to follow her to church and help serve as an altar girl as she did. I vividly remember one of the priests asking me if I was baptized. Although my family never celebrated any holidays (not even Christmas), Easter was always a special holiday my siblings and I would look forward to because my father would buy us Easter Bunny Chocolate.”
Adults preparing in the RCIA program receive the three sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil, described as one of the most beautiful and joyous ceremonies of the Church. Thuy’s husband, Anthony, has been a very active member of St. Joseph of the Palisades Parish for years, first as a catechist for children and then for young adults. He is Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist and visits the elderly.
Rite of Election ceremony at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark on March 5, 2022. (Photo by Julio Eduardo Herrera/Archdiocese of Newark)
We asked Thuy about her relationship with Anthony, and she said, “I got married in the Catholic church because my husband is Catholic. Despite never being pressured to convert, I now want to become a Christian, and I do not doubt that I want to be a Catholic. Being married to a husband who believes and trusts in God allowed me to witness what God can do for his faithful servant. Many times have I seen my husband trusting in the Lord in difficult times, putting his faith in Him, praying for His will to be done, and without fail, God answered. God’s answers and solutions to his problems, to our problems, always surpassed what my husband and I can ever imagine.”
Thuy recalled when her husband fell ill: “In 2016, my husband had an episode of illness, he had a fever of 104 and chills that doctors could not find the cause of. He had to go to two different hospitals and had four emergency room visits, multiple specialist opinions, X-rays, CT scans, and blood test results with no conclusive findings. His condition was so serious that my father-in-law sent out an email to his family around the world, asking for prayers. But the turning point for me was when my husband prayed to the Lord that ‘His Will be done,’ that if God decided he should go, let him go. In desperation, I prayed to the Lord, asking Him that if He wanted to heal my husband, I would convert.”
After a pause and making a connection between the memories and the present, she told us: “I am joining the Church, not because of Anthony’s devotion but because I made a promise to the Lord that I would convert if He healed my husband, and He did. That promise was made six years ago, and the conversion was slow. But I think God reminded me of the promise I made through a series of dreams and events.”
She smiled and recalled: “On one occasion after a dream, I felt the urge to look up the Bible. I did not know anything about the Bible except that when people look up the Bible, they type in a number, a colon, and another number, so I searched ‘Bible 3:14’ (3/14 is my daughter’s birthday). The search result was “I need to be baptized by you…” and reading that gave me the chills. When I spoke to my husband about this, he told me that no one searches up ‘Bible 3:14.’ You must search the verse in accompaniment with a book of the Bible like John, Luke, Matthew, etc. But somehow, the result of my search was Matthew 3:14, and my husband told me that God was once again reminding me of my promise and even giving me the instruction to be baptized. These dreams and events were four years ago, and I am glad that I am now in the process of preparing to become a Christian of the Catholic faith.”
Finally, and with the same enthusiasm that she spoke at the beginning of the preparation process, she said: “This preparation has brought me more certainty about God: I now know and understand more about Him, His commandments, and what He expects of me.”
Anthony and Thuy’s daughter Melody also received her sacraments of initiation at St. Joseph of the Palisades. In this regard, Thuy adds: “We decided together that our daughter be baptized and raised in the Catholic Church.”
The RCIA Adult Catechism program is an opportunity for many to receive the sacraments of initiation and be educated members of the Church. Newly baptized participate in the life of the parish community.
Featured image: Thuy Vuong is preparing to receive the sacraments of initiation at St. Joseph of the Palisades Parish in West New York. Vuong recently participated in the Rite of Election at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark. (Photo: Archdiocese of Newark/Marco Guerrero)
