Deacon Hoa Tran, finding hope in new ways

Hoa Tran is one of our newest permanent deacons within the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. He was ordained by Archbishop Peter A Comensoli at St Patrick’s Cathedral, together with Deacon Stephen Fernandes, on 11 March. Deacon Hoa’s story is one of inspiration and courage. Having escaped Communist-led Vietnam by boat as a young man, and endured the death of his wife from cancer, he demonstrates that even late in life, and having suffered personal hardship, we are called by God to hope, love and serve in new and life-giving ways.

Deacon Hoa Tran was born in Tan Dinh Saigon, in southern Vietnam, and was raised in a devout Catholic family. He was the eldest of 10 children (seven girls and three boys), and though his family were poor, his parents always set ‘a good example’, attending daily Mass with the family and encouraging this practice among the children throughout their later years.

Deacon Hoa attended St Vincent de Paul’s boarding school in his teens, located in Tam Hiep Commune, Bien Hoa Province, about 35 kilometres from his home. In his final year, South Vietnam was ‘lost to the Communists’, so he returned home to help his parents with their farming. With the political situation in Vietnam becoming more unstable, Deacon Hoa and his family started making plans for Hoa to leave the country.

When the south was lost, most young people had no future.

‘Living previously under a democracy, many families were confused when the regime changed and didn’t know how to adapt to life. Soldiers under the previous [democratic] government were sent for “re-education”, but their return date was unknown,’ he says. ‘The future of young people like me at that time was up and down, with no tomorrow, and so, to avoid the unstable political situation at the time, many young people had their parents’ permission to escape Vietnam by boat, and some by road.’

With his parents’ blessing, the young Hoa first attempted to escape by boat in April 1978. However, the boat he was travelling in was discovered and captured by the Communist authorities. He was imprisoned and not released until six months later.

On 21 May 1981, he attempted to escape a second time, again on a small fishing boat with a group of people. Having little money, his parents encouraged him to escape alone (though one of his younger brothers escaped later in 1983, and a younger sister in 1985; his youngest brother eventually came to Australia in 2008 on a skilled visa).

While en route, the boat was intercepted by a Norwegian merchant ship, with those on board taken to a refugee camp in Singapore. He was held in the camp for two weeks before the Australian High Commission in Singapore granted him asylum in Australia. Arriving in Melbourne on 4 July 1981, he lived at East Bridge Hostel in Nunawading for six months, followed by a few other places like Westall and Clayton, before moving to his current home in Keysborough in 1985.

He spent his first few months in Melbourne learning English and by October had secured his first job, working for a company that made aluminium windows and doors. In 1983, he met a young woman named Oanh Bui, and they married five years later. Together they began exploring opportunities in the clothing industry, which was prospering in the 1990s, and in 1995, they started manufacturing clothes with their own label, selling direct to buyers at the markets.

Life was progressing well, and the young couple welcomed a son, Bguyen, and daughter, Vy. However, in late 2002, Oanh was diagnosed with liver cancer and sadly passed away in August 2003.

Finding hope and new life, after death

Reflecting on his life and recent ordination, Deacon Hoa says the death of his wife was the main reason he began to listen more deeply to what God was asking of him and, eventually, to enquire about the permanent diaconate. He explains that at the time of his wife’s illness, the chaplain of the Community of St Thomas Thien, Fr Bart San Huynh (now deceased), provided ‘spiritual help’ to himself and his wife.

‘When the hospital could no longer treat my wife and said she had only three months to live—that was June 2003—she had the courage to ask Fr Bart for spiritual help,’ said Deacon Hoa. ‘Even if there was no need, Fr Bart came to our house to lift our spirits and to have lunch with us, but to especially prepare my wife spiritually. When he offered to “adopt” my wife as a spiritual daughter, she asked him: “I’m dying, is it worth it?” And he replied, “If you go to heaven, then pray for me.”

When my wife was alive, I always hoped that she would be cured and live, but that wasn’t the case. Her faith inspires me a lot, so although we don’t see each other anymore, I don’t feel lost.

Following his wife’s death, Fr Bart became Deacon Hoa’s spiritual director, with the two meeting every week for more than 15 years. Along with his wife, Fr Bart was instrumental in influencing Deacon Hoa’s vocation, encouraging him to listen to where God was calling him.

‘My wife’s death, and also my father’s, reminded me to make the best choice, and I chose God,’ says Deacon Hoa. ‘I wanted to serve God and his people, as a permanent deacon.

‘This is a faith process that, until now, I have not understood … I realised the significance of the relationship between God and me. I was reminded that God is always with me, and that God’s presence is at the core of my vocation.’

In 2009, Hoa began studying part-time for a Bachelor of Theology at the Catholic Theological College. In late 2015, he was accepted into the Permanent Diaconate Formation Program. During this time, he continued his studies at CTC, focussing on theology, morality and Church teachings, and participated in parish-related activities. He met regularly with his spiritual director, and shared his experiences, both positive and negative, with others in the program.

Now, having been a deacon for just over a month in his home parish of Resurrection Keysborough (and the neighbouring parish of St Anthony’s), he ‘hopes to do well’ in his daily duties as a deacon. ‘I feel like everything has changed; I am on a new journey now,’ he says. ‘I wish to help people to know who we are and where we come from. This will help people to live more meaningfully in the joys and sorrows of life.’

Deacon Hoa is grateful to God that ‘he has chosen’ him as a deacon and hopes that, through him, ‘God’s grace can reach those in need’.

‘I ask that God’s will be done through my pastoral activities so that I can share peace and joy with others,’ he says. ‘I continue to need God’s grace, as without God, I could not have done anything.’

Deacon Hoa is also grateful to Archbishop Peter A Comensoli for allowing him ‘to join the ranks of the diocese’s clergy’, and to Fr Andrew Jekot, director of the Permanent Diaconate Formation Program, Fr Brian Collins, who encouraged him and acquainted him with the work of altar serving, and finally, his family.

There are so many people who, in one way or another, have supported and prayed for me.

‘I realise that each person is a gift God sent me. I hope to do well in my daily duties as a deacon and to help each other to live more meaningfully in the joy of life, in the places where I have been appointed to collaborate. Please continue to pray that I may be worthy.’