How long does it take you to get to Mass? For many it’s likely just a few minutes. But for the family of Father Truong “Joseph” Viet Ho, the 8,500-mile trip to his first Mass as a priest took more than 24 hours of travel.
Father Ho was among the six new priests Bishop Edward Malesic ordained on May 16 for service to the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland.
Growing up in Vietnam, Father Ho said he always felt called to the priesthood. However, the Vietnamese government regulates the number of priests permitted in the communist country.
In 2014, he joined a religious order intending to become a missionary. After two years, he felt called to be a parish priest.
Eight years ago, Father Ho was accepted into a program called Formation Support for Vietnam and began the journey that landed him in Cleveland. He left his family – including his parents and six siblings – knowing that once ordained, he could not return to Vietnam permanently. In short, he gave up his life there to follow the call of the Holy Spirit.
As he noted on the St. Bernadette Parish podcast, Father Ho always turned to God’s plan for him, knowing that God always supplied people to accompany, pray and support him throughout his life.
When he entered the seminary after arriving in Cleveland, Father Ho did not speak English. Father Joseph Menkhaus, parochial vicar at St. Bernadette, recalled his first interaction in the seminary trying to communicate with Father Ho, who could not even say “hello.” To learn English, he enrolled in the English as a Second Language program at Case Western Reserve University. He also practiced his language skills with fellow seminarians.
Father Ho was matched with a Vietnamese host family here where he spent breaks and summers away from the seminary.
After eight years of formation, field education, ordination as a transitional deacon and more, Father Ho has learned the language, adapted to American food and culture and is ready to continue his journey as the new parochial vicar for St. Sebastian Parish in Akron.
Adding to the joy of his ordination was the presence of his parents, sisters and aunt. His parents, Hoc Viet Ho and Lanh Thi Nguyen, had never left Vietnam and had never been on an airplane until they traveled to Cleveland for his ordination. After a five-hour bus ride and two flights, they arrived in Cleveland in early May, just a few days before his birthday.
Following his priestly ordination, Father Ho celebrated his first Mass at St. Bernadette in Westlake, where he also spent the last two years of formation, including the past year as a transitional deacon.
Father Phil Racco, St. Bernadette pastor, said the parish is proud of the role it played in Father Ho’s formation.
The new priest’s first Mass began with a large gong calling the congregation to worship. About two dozen clergy were present as Father Ho celebrated the Mass, which included a Vietnamese choir. A post-Mass celebration featured Vietnamese food. Father Ho also celebrated a Mass at St. Boniface Parish, a Vietnamese parish on Cleveland’s West Side.
He said he aspires to be a witness to the people of the diocese and hopes that his presence and his story will be a source of inspiration for others to follow God’s plan for them.
Listen to his podcast episode here and watch a recording of Father Ho’s first Mass here.
Photos provided by St. Bernadette Parish and RK Images Photography.