Doan Nguyen Danh MSC, A Grateful Year in the Tiwi Islands
The Australian province welcomes Danh to Melbourne after his year, 2020, in the Tiwi Islands. Danh made his profession on June 6th 2011 after his novitiate In the Philippines. He completed his studies in Vietnam, ordained July 27th 2019, and then came to Australia.
He is now a member of the Melbourne community, living at Cuskelly House in Blackburn. He is part of the Siloam, Spiritual Direction program at the Heart of Life Centre.
We asked Danh to reflect on his time on mission - and we have delved into our archives for some photos of Danh and his ordination.
One year and 4 months is the time of I carried out my first assignment as an assistant priest of the Tiwi Islands in the Diocese of Darwin. It was not a long time but it gave me some valuable and unforgettable experiences, realizations, encouragements, challenges and Graces as well.
Generally, the Tiwi People, who I ministered to, are so friendly, welcoming and caring. I feel safe, happy and blessed to be with them. Some of them really care for me. They want to share and try to help and teach me a lot. However, their way of life and the way they practise their Catholic Faith as I see, is mostly different from my experience in other places, and this actually is a big challenge for me.
Throughout the time, there was no lack of hard and discourage times. For example, many lovely people just passed away one after another - too many funerals, or there was time celebrating the Eucharist with almost no one to say the responses, or most of the schedules could not be on time, etc. These moments somehow caused me to be tired, los my enthusiasm, became lazy and afraid to start something new. Fortunately, at the same time, there were many happy and delightful experiences for me as well. Such as, looking at the so beautiful smiles of the children we baptized, or a few times seeing some young people at mass, listening to the sharing of some people about their life and faith journey, teaching religion to the kids at school, seeing families fishing – hunting – cooking together at the beach, etc. These moments really cheered me up and strengthened me in my ministry.
Doing ministry over there, I was really challenged about my capacity to be patient and flexible. Even if I have a good plan, I make it very clear, prepare it very well and try my best to carry it out, then whatever comes just comes. And for many times what happened was not what I planned or imagined, so I must learn hard to be flexible and very patient. The most challenging for me in the ministry there was to have no expectations, just try my best and then accept the situation as it is, let it be and happily put my trust in God’s work and in God’s Grace. Nothing that I can predict so let God makes the way.
Relating to the People there, I learned more in respecting people with their Culture and way of life, and be more optimistic. No matter how a person lives their life, there are always good values in him or her, and for sure they are People of God. The most valuable lesson I realized and learnt from the life of the People there is that for every one of us, no matter we realize and accept or not, the spiritual need is always there and is the core and the remedy for all problems. We can look for satisfaction and even be drown in so many other things, but deep in our heart, there always exist the desire for spiritual needs. We can be fully satisfied and our problems can be solved only if our spiritual needs are fulfilled, or in the saying of Saint Augustine: “Our heart is restless until it rests in You”
Aside on working with the Tiwi, I also had chance to gather a few times with the Vietnamese Catholic Community in Darwin. We had Mass and caught up together, and I also visited some families some times. This was also a great help and support for me as I live away from my country. I also had time for relaxation. I enjoyed walking along the beautiful beaches with 2 loyal dogs, doing some gardening, enjoying the music, reading some books, and most enjoyable is fishing with friends. These activities helped me to regain my energy and refresh myself. Especially, celebrating the Sacraments and Liturgy, doing pastoral services, and nurturing my own spiritual life (praying and reflecting) helped strengthen my Faith and urge me more in my ministry.
Reflecting on the past time, through all the up and down moments that I encountered, I feel so happy and blessed by the accompaniment, the support and encouragement of so many People: the Tiwi and non-Tiwi People (especially some close friends) in the communities, my MSC brothers both in Australia and in Vietnam, the Sisters in the parishes, my family and friends back in Vietnam, together with other people I encountered. All these People are God’s Blessing for me, and they all reflect God’s presence in my journey. I am deeply grateful to all, and May God bless us all in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
