Sr. Mary Perpetua
My Vocation is Love
Thanksgiving/gratitude is a constant feeling I always want to give to God, Mary and St. Joseph for my special vocation.
I was born and raised in Vietnam in a family of nine children- five boys and four girls. My family lived in the countryside and were not wealthy, but we inherited the moral atmosphere of the parish, pious parents, relatives and the whole village. My father served in the French army, but when he emigrated to the South, he switched to carpentry. He worked for the Sisters of Saint Paul and usually came home every two weeks. My dad was the main breadwinner of the family, so there was not enough money for my three older siblings to attend school. The younger siblings and I were luckier. Although my family was poor, my parents always put our faith first. I still remember how my parents urged us to go to Mass in the morning, go to church in the afternoon, and pray together at night before going to bed. It was this atmosphere that formed the faith of my brothers and sisters.
It can be said that my presence was a test of faith for my parents because I died and was revived four times.
According to my parents, when I was 8 years old, I was sick with some sort of illness. The doctor had given up, and my family brought me home to prepare for the funeral. Everyone in the family had to accept the inevitable that I had died the fourth time. The funeral was arranged and carried out, but when the coffin cover was about to close, I woke up. In bursts of joy, my parents gave thanks to God, Mary, and Saint Joseph. When I heard about this incident in my life, I thought to myself, could it be thanks to the faith and prayers of my parents I had escaped death? I then wondered if God wanted to bring me back to life so that I could become a member of the Sisters of Mary, Queen of Mercy. When I sit back and think about it, since I was 7 years old, I wanted to become a sister, but because I was too young, it was only a dream. The fact that many of my relatives and family became a religious sister or a priest sparked in me the desire of becoming a sister. From that time until the age of thirteen, the thought of becoming a sister was always in my mind. When I was thirteen years old, I entered the Congregation of Mary, Queen in Vietnam, and joy and happiness filled my soul. As a candidate, I was able to go home to visit my parents for 10 days. However, all through the 10 days of my home visit, I wanted to return to the convent. During one of my home visits, my hometown was under a fierce bombardment (this was during the time of the Vietnam War). At that moment, my whole family prayed the rosary together to ask God, Mary, and Saint Joseph for protection. My mother said to me, "Tomorrow, if it is safe, return to the convent. Even if you get shot, you will die in the convent." To this day, remembering that event, I still thank God for letting me inherit the good piety of my family, especially my mother. Maybe this is why out of my nine siblings, my fourth brother is a monk of the Châu Sơn Cistercian Order, and my youngest sister, Sister Phúc, is a religious sister of the Congregation of Mary, Queen in Vietnam.
During the long journey of my religious life, I have experienced much suffering. This is a feeling far different from the naive days of first entering religious life. I have found that, no matter what state of life we live in, union with the cross and suffering of Christ gives value and meaning to one's life. Therefore, despite many crosses and sufferings, I still strive to be faithful to my vocation to the end. That is why I always ask God, Mary, and Saint Joseph to keep me strong in my vocation and to overcome the challenges that pull me to give up the religious life. Oftentimes, I am misunderstood by some sisters, but thanks to the motto of "rejoice in suffering" of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the example of Saint Faustina, I am convinced that “through pain and suffering will come glory.” And indeed, "after the rain, the sun shines again." It is my sufferings and trials that have shown me that God, Mary, and Saint Joseph are always there to support me, when I am asleep and when I am awake. Because of this, up to this present day, I am continuously striving to persevere in my vocation with the joy and peace of religious life. Truly, living a religious life doesn’t exempt from suffering but knowing how to abandon oneself, take up the cross and follow God every day.
Lord, strengthen my weak faith and my vocation. Mary and Saint Joseph, accompany me until my last breath. Amen.
Sr. Mary Perpetua Nguyen, CMRM
I was born and raised in Vietnam in a family of nine children- five boys and four girls. My family lived in the countryside and were not wealthy, but we inherited the moral atmosphere of the parish, pious parents, relatives and the whole village. My father served in the French army, but when he emigrated to the South, he switched to carpentry. He worked for the Sisters of Saint Paul and usually came home every two weeks. My dad was the main breadwinner of the family, so there was not enough money for my three older siblings to attend school. The younger siblings and I were luckier. Although my family was poor, my parents always put our faith first. I still remember how my parents urged us to go to Mass in the morning, go to church in the afternoon, and pray together at night before going to bed. It was this atmosphere that formed the faith of my brothers and sisters.
It can be said that my presence was a test of faith for my parents because I died and was revived four times.
According to my parents, when I was 8 years old, I was sick with some sort of illness. The doctor had given up, and my family brought me home to prepare for the funeral. Everyone in the family had to accept the inevitable that I had died the fourth time. The funeral was arranged and carried out, but when the coffin cover was about to close, I woke up. In bursts of joy, my parents gave thanks to God, Mary, and Saint Joseph. When I heard about this incident in my life, I thought to myself, could it be thanks to the faith and prayers of my parents I had escaped death? I then wondered if God wanted to bring me back to life so that I could become a member of the Sisters of Mary, Queen of Mercy. When I sit back and think about it, since I was 7 years old, I wanted to become a sister, but because I was too young, it was only a dream. The fact that many of my relatives and family became a religious sister or a priest sparked in me the desire of becoming a sister. From that time until the age of thirteen, the thought of becoming a sister was always in my mind. When I was thirteen years old, I entered the Congregation of Mary, Queen in Vietnam, and joy and happiness filled my soul. As a candidate, I was able to go home to visit my parents for 10 days. However, all through the 10 days of my home visit, I wanted to return to the convent. During one of my home visits, my hometown was under a fierce bombardment (this was during the time of the Vietnam War). At that moment, my whole family prayed the rosary together to ask God, Mary, and Saint Joseph for protection. My mother said to me, "Tomorrow, if it is safe, return to the convent. Even if you get shot, you will die in the convent." To this day, remembering that event, I still thank God for letting me inherit the good piety of my family, especially my mother. Maybe this is why out of my nine siblings, my fourth brother is a monk of the Châu Sơn Cistercian Order, and my youngest sister, Sister Phúc, is a religious sister of the Congregation of Mary, Queen in Vietnam.
During the long journey of my religious life, I have experienced much suffering. This is a feeling far different from the naive days of first entering religious life. I have found that, no matter what state of life we live in, union with the cross and suffering of Christ gives value and meaning to one's life. Therefore, despite many crosses and sufferings, I still strive to be faithful to my vocation to the end. That is why I always ask God, Mary, and Saint Joseph to keep me strong in my vocation and to overcome the challenges that pull me to give up the religious life. Oftentimes, I am misunderstood by some sisters, but thanks to the motto of "rejoice in suffering" of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the example of Saint Faustina, I am convinced that “through pain and suffering will come glory.” And indeed, "after the rain, the sun shines again." It is my sufferings and trials that have shown me that God, Mary, and Saint Joseph are always there to support me, when I am asleep and when I am awake. Because of this, up to this present day, I am continuously striving to persevere in my vocation with the joy and peace of religious life. Truly, living a religious life doesn’t exempt from suffering but knowing how to abandon oneself, take up the cross and follow God every day.
Lord, strengthen my weak faith and my vocation. Mary and Saint Joseph, accompany me until my last breath. Amen.
Sr. Mary Perpetua Nguyen, CMRM
