HONG KONG (SE): Cardinal Stephen Chow S.J.., the bishop of Hong Kong, ordained Vietnamese missionary Peter Le The Hai of the Society of the Divine Word [SVD] as a deacon at Christ the King Chapel, Causeway Bay, on January 14.
Over 20 priests concelebrated the Mass, including Father Leszek Niewdana, the provincial of the SVD China province, and Father John Baptist Le Van Ba, rector of the SVD Overseas Training Programme’s House of Studies.
“I am grateful for the grace of God, who called me and chose me as his servant,” Deacon Le shared after the ordination. He thanked Cardinal Stephen for officiating the ceremony, and the concelebrants, including Father Niewdana, for his presence, Father Le, who shared many of his experiences as a Vietnamese missionary with him, as well as the other Divine Word missionaries for their support, and urged people for their continuous prayers for him.
During the ceremony, Reverend Le was recommended by Father Le to Cardinal Stephen as deacon. The cardinal then explained his duty to serve God and people selflessly in celibacy, to spread the gospel and to show the Word through his actions. Reverend Le pronounced his profession of faith before the cardinal, who then laid hands on him.
Deacon Le, was born in 1988 and came from Ninh Thuan in southeast part of Vietnam. He has two older brothers and two younger sisters. As a child, he recalls that he was raised in a Catholic family and that his parents were involved in Church activities, which sowed the seeds of his vocation.
He remembered that he discovered his vocation very unexpectedly. He had just come home after taking an entrance test for a university when his uncle told him about the entry test for the SVD and asked if he would like to try it. He felt God’s calling at that time and said, “Yes.”
He became an aspirant in 2006 and made his first profession on 16 July 2013. He finished two years learning philosophy in Vietnam and then joined the SVD overseas training programme. In 2016, he was assigned to Hong Kong and began his theological training in 2019 at the University of St. Joseph in Macau. In 2021, he professed his permanent vows.
Following ordination, Deacon Le is assigned to Holy Family Parish, Choi Hung.
Father Leszek Niewdana expressed his gratitude to the concelebrants, the communities coming to support Deacon Le and the people who helped to organise the Mass. He particularly thanked the family of Deacon Le, who joined the Mass online, for their beautiful gift to the Church, to God, and to the congregation.
Vietnamese, Filipino, and Indonesian migrant communities, along with the Chinese community, attended the ordination ceremony to support the deacon.
