Deacon Phan first Vietnamese deacon in diocese

The question “Why me?” often surfaces when people undergo intense personal suffering or witness the suffering of others. 

But in a unique way, the question moved Deacon Tram Phan toward becoming the first Vietnamese deacon for the Diocese of Baton Rouge.

Bishop Michael G. Duca ordained Deacon Phan Aug. 13 at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge.

Deacon Phan grew up in a Catholic family in Vung Tau, Vietnam. His mother, Chuc Thi Nguyen, deceased, was particularly devoted to the Catholic faith.

“My mom did everything she could do to give us an opportunity for prayer, to go to church and for us to see that (Mass and faith) is the No. one priority,” said Deacon Phan.

He was 19 years old when his family came to the United States from Vietnam in order to have more freedom to worship. 

For Deacon Phan, though, the faith was not such a priority, success was. 

When he attended the University of Louisiana Monroe his ever-persistent mother called him every Sunday and reminded him to attend Mass and pray every night. He said he might have prayed a “Hail Mary” while lying down at night before going to sleep  but it “wasn’t really sitting down, praying and contemplating.”

After graduating from ULM, Deacon Phan eventually found himself living “the American dream.” He and his wife, Thuy, have been married for 19 years and have three daughters: Holly, 16; Emily, 15; and Katelyn, 13. 

He has been a pharmacist for the past 22 years.

During a time when Deacon Phan was achieving earthly success, he said God nudged him to delve deeper into his faith.

“I see God is beautiful and he knows me more than I know myself,” Deacon Phan wryly said. “He knew that if he abruptly called me, I might not respond to that very well. So he went walking with me, in a way slowly.”

Deacon Phan experienced his epiphany, “aha” moments, and he would think “Okay I am going to change my life.”

God helped Deacon Phan recognize the blessings God had given to him.

“I’m thinking it might be God giving me the idea, you know, all the blessings I have, but I never feel like I have enough. And I question myself, ‘How much is enough?’ ” he said. “I keep chasing for things that I can never satisfy myself with.”

Deacon Phan realized he had to give back.

His diaconate journey started about 10 years ago when he heard Father Toan Vu’s personal account of his harrowing journey to America.

“He escaped from Vietnam to the United States and the boat he was on got robbed by pirates,” said Deacon Phan.

They pirates kidnapped the women and the men were put on a deserted island. The men were ultimately able to escape and made it to America, but Father Vu had lost his faith, faith because he wondered “where is God and his love and mercy” when those women were likely killed and everyone else was left to suffer. 

God eventually opened Father Vu’s eyes through the homeless of the city. He wondered, “Why do I have a house?” “why do I still have a job?” Father Vu prayed and pondered the questions, had a conversion and became a priest.

Father Vu’s story resonated with Deacon Phan. The question “Why me?” for him was why God has blessed him so much, and he pursued the diaconate.

The challenges of diaconate formation for Deacon Phan, who is bilingual, was the difficulty and absorbing the rigorous theological materials for class, which are in English.

But his intense efforts helped him see the beauty of the theology he was reading and the Catholic faith.

Deacon Phan is looking forward to his diaconate assignment at Sts. Anthony of Padua and LeVan Phung in Baton Rouge.

He plans to serve as a bridge between the congregation and the pastor.

As the liaison for the Vietnamese Apostolate, Deacon Phan also plans to build bridges between the apostolate and the diocese.

“The Vietnamese have a beautiful faith and devotions,” said Deacon Phan, who hopes to highlight that.

He will also bring that love to his chosen charity of the nursing homes and celebrate Communion services there.

In all his diaconate duties Deacon Phan said he plans to be fully present and do everything with love.

“I see how much God loves us, and I want to bring that love to the people so they can experience how much God loves them,” said Deacon Phan.