“In my whole life, I have just felt the love of God always pouring on my soul and on my life in many ways. Especially when He called me to become His disciple, to become a priest, I just feel that His love is never ending,” says Father Thanh Duc Pham.

“I feel it is the happiest thing to become a priest. That joy, nobody can take away from me,” says Father Hoa Tien Nguyen. “That is God’s will for me. He wants me to be happy.”

“As St. Augustine said, our hearts are restless until they rest in something that completely and utterly fulfills. Our hearts are restless until they rest in the Lord because He is the fulfillment of all our desires,” says Father Erin Michael Donlon.

The three men were ordained by Bishop James Ruggieri at the Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul in Lewiston, with Bishop Emeritus Robert Deeley and Archbishop Timothy Broglio from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, (AMS) serving as principal concelebrants. Father Donlon was cosponsored by the archdiocese and the Diocese of Portland.

In his homily, the bishop thanked the three men for their yes to Christ’s call and for agreeing to be collaborators with him in service to the Church. He also urged them to always put their trust in God.

“Brothers, always remember that in the process of pouring your heart and whole being into being other Christs for the people of God whom you serve, at the end of the day, all we, unprofitable servants, can do is entrust everything to the providential care of our Heavenly Father.”

The three new priests say it is by trusting the Father and by developing a closeness with Him through prayer that they were able to reach this point in their journeys.

“If I do not pray, I cannot survive because the personal relationship with Christ is very important. And without Him, I cannot survive. Without Him, I will carry the cross very heavily. But with Him, I think it will be fine,” says Father Nguyen.

“Trust in God’s love, and you will never, never feel lonely, never feel discouraged,” says Father Pham.

“The reality is that God’s in control and we’re not,” says Father Donlon. “My favorite image in Mark is when Jesus calms the storm because Mark tells us exactly where Jesus is on the boat. He’s in the back by the rudder, so He’s always guiding. He’s guiding even though He is asleep. He was in complete control in the midst of the entire storm.”

During the ordination rite, the then-deacons made their priestly promises and, placing their hands within the bishop’s, pledged obedience to him and his successors.

In a sign of humility, they then prostrated themselves while the Litany of the Saints was sung, each having had the opportunity to include saints to whom they had a devotion. Father Nguyen says for him that was one of the most emotional parts of the ordination rite.

“I cried a lot during the litany because every time I lie down, I think about Jesus. He asked me to lay down myself for my flock, the people I care for,” says Father Nguyen.

After the Litany of the Saints, the bishop laid hands on each of the ordinands, invoking the Holy Spirit to come down upon them. The approximately 80 priests present then did the same after which the bishop prayed the Prayer of Ordination, asking God to grant “to these your servants the dignity of the priesthood; renew deep within them the spirit of holiness.”

Now ordained, the three priests were vested with stoles and chasubles, symbols of the priesthood. The bishop then anointed their hands with sacred chrism.

“When the bishop anointed my hands, I just felt that my hands are now holy hands. That made me think about how I can live a holy life as a priest of God so that I can transfer the blessing of God to the people,” says Father Pham.

“Putting the chrism on the hands, it’s like these hands are broken vessels that God will use to bless people,” says Father Donlon. “It’s amazing.”

The bishop then presented each newly ordained priest with a chalice and paten, counseling them to “understand what you will do, imitate what you will celebrate, and conform your life to the mystery of the Lord’s cross.”

The newly ordained priests were then welcomed to the presbyterate by the bishops and priests with the fraternal sign of peace.

“I think the place that struck me the most during the ordination was the laying on of hands by the priests and the fraternal sign of peace with all the priests. That was just amazing. I kind of got so overwhelmed,” says Father Donlon. “One of the things that was just so nice was that so many of my priest friends from both here in the diocese and outside were here.”

Father Erin Michael Donlon

Father Donlon, who is from the Biddeford-Saco area, credits being raised in a devout Catholic family and the presence of priests throughout his life for helping him to discover his vocation.

“I truly believe that one of the reasons why I’m here now is because priests were very involved in my life. They came over to my parents’ house all of the time,” he says. “I saw them, yes, as priests, but I also saw them as human beings who are truly in love with their people, truly in love with God.”

Those priests included Father William Clarke, SJ, a longtime family friend who was one of the priests who vested Father Donlon during the ordination Mass, and Father Renald “Ron” Labarre, now deceased, who served as pastor of the Biddeford parishes, where the Donlon twins, Erin and Ryan, were altar servers.

“The priest who really inspired me growing up was Father Ron Labarre,” says Father Donlon. “There were always people coming in and out, priests coming in and out, and he would always introduce me and my twin brother and be like, ‘These are going to be priests of the diocese.’” And I would say, ‘After becoming a Marine.’ And he, in his characteristic style, would be, ‘No, no, no, no. Be a priest first.’”

Father Donlon says one of the most profound moments of his life occurred during confession with Father Labarre. He says it is one of the reasons that being able to offer the sacrament is one of the things he is most looking forward to as a priest.

“It’s sharing God’s love and mercy that begins in the sacrament of penance and is just constantly renewed and strengthened in the sacrament of the Eucharist. One of the things that I’m excited to do is to promote the reality of frequent reception of the sacrament of penance, which prepares us to receive the Eucharist,” he says. “Confession is like sharpening the tools in the spiritual tool shed, and the Eucharist is like that meal that gets us ready for the next task at hand because we’re in a feast, we’re in celebration, but we’re also called to go back to work.”

 In addition to his interactions with priests at a young age, Father Donlon says he also had an opportunity to spend time with seminarians while attending a summer discernment camp in the Diocese of Rockford, Illinois, where some extended family members lived.

“The seminarians were very involved, so I met seminarians for the first time. But there was just a spirit of prayer. Everything revolved around the Liturgy of the Hours and Mass,” says Father Donlon.

Coming from a three-generation military family, Father Donlon says when it was time for college, he only had two choices in mind: the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, which he attended. Still, he says that his faith remained ever present. 

“I loved working on ships. I loved the regimental aspect of the academy. I loved the academy, but there was still something tugging at me, so I started a Knights of Columbus council while I was there,” he says.

It led to his appointment as chairman of the Knights of Columbus College Council Advisory Board for the Supreme Office. And, through that connection, he was invited to a retreat at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

“It’s a weekend of intense prayer. Then you have these testimonies, and then on one of the nights, you receive a lot of letters. All the letters that I received at that retreat were from people who had gone to West Point but were now in seminary,” he says.

While at the retreat, a priest asked him if he had ever considered serving as a priest for the AMS. It would soon become part of his vocational journey.

After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Systems Engineering, he commissioned as a strategic sealift officer in the United States Navy Reserve. He then entered the Navy’s chaplain candidate program in 2020 and was cosponsored as a seminarian by the AMS and the Diocese of Portland. He attended Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

 “I loved the spirit of prayer because the seminary was very keen on a Holy Hour every day and praying in community with Mass. And we had a beautiful choir. It was just very beautiful,” he says. “And then, really in the last year, it just seems like the connections that I’ve had with the faculty have grown in a beautiful way. And so, it’s been a wonderful experience.”

Father Donlon says the seminary pushed him in several ways, including helping him to develop a deep intentionality about prayer.

“It was a good environment to discern prayer,” he says. “It’s getting used to the rhythm, especially of the Liturgy of the Hours. It’s a beautiful gift that the priest promises because that means that at every moment, everywhere around the world, prayer is continuously happening, which is mind-blowing.”

Father Donlon consecrated his priesthood to the Blessed Mother, saying he feels particularly drawn to Our Lady of Sorrows.

“I think that Marian devotion of all the devotions really relates to the human condition the most because she suffered, too. And the swords are seven different entryways through which we can enter into her heart, which then enters into His heart,” says Father Donlon.

Reflecting his strong ties to both his faith and military service, Father Donlon also has devotions to St. John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests, to St. Ignatius of Loyola, the patron saint of soldiers, to St. Francis Xavier, known for his missionary work, and to Servant of God Vincent Capodanno, a Maryknoll missionary and Navy chaplain who died trying to assist a wounded Marine during the Vietnam War. 

“We have, especially in our diocese, almost like a charism to take care of the wounded. Not just military, but there’s a wounded population in our diocese, whether it’s from drug addiction or homelessness or whatever. And so, I think that’s one of the things that needs to be tapped into is the ministry to the wounded: physically, spiritually, emotionally,” he says.

While Father Donlon has completed seminary, he says he knows his journey is just beginning.

“I think there is a big temptation for me and for every seminarian who leaves seminary to be, like, I’m done studying now, but the real study begins because everything that happens in parish life affects how you preach and how you teach,” he says.

Father Donlon will serve his first three years as a priest in the Diocese of Portland, after which he will transition to active duty as a U.S. Navy chaplain. He was assigned by Bishop Ruggieri to serve as a parochial vicar at the Parish of the Resurrection of the Lord in Old Town and as assistant director of the Office of Vocations.

“I am unbelievably excited to be promoting vocations. That’s my bread and butter. I think there are more men and women in our diocese whom we just haven’t tapped into yet,” he says.

He stresses the importance of families in helping young people hear God’s call and especially the need for fathers to be “heroic witnesses of the faith.”

“Families, parents, pray for vocations in your family. Pray for your sons and daughters to be open to receiving the opportunity to be called to the priesthood or religious life,” he says. “Please continue to pray for me, too, but for every prayer that you give me, I want you to pray 10 times as hard for vocations in your family.”

In Vietnam, the home country of Father Nguyen and Father Pham, Catholic families are devoted to the Church, and as a result, there are numerous vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

“We have a very small Catholic population, only 7 percent, but we have strong vocations,” says Father Pham. 

One of Father Pham’s sisters is a nun, and Father Nguyen has two sisters who are nuns and a younger brother who is a seminarian.

“My parents, I remember they repeated many, many times in my life that ‘I want to offer half of my children to the Church,’’’ says Father Nguyen. “Even though sometimes my family had a difficult time dealing with finances, they never stopped supporting us to become priests and nuns. And you can see now, they are very happy.”

Father Hoa Tien Nguyen

Father Nguyen, who is from the Nghệ An Province in Vietnam, says his family was always active in the church, which was less than a two-minute walk from their home. He rose early every morning to attend Mass, and his family headed back to church in the evening for prayer.

He says there were many priests and religious brothers and sisters in his family, so he had opportunities to talk with them. He says he first felt a call to the priesthood when he was in middle school, and at age 12, he asked his parents if he could stay at the rectory with the parish priests, which he says is a custom in Vietnam for someone discerning for the priesthood.

“I spent most of my time with the priests. I did everything. I learned how to cook the bread for Mass. I took care of the rectory, took care of the sacristy, and I decorated the church for many Masses, anything. I loved to do it,” he says. “I figured out my vocation through service because I was involved with the parish for many years.”

He stayed at the rectory through high school. Then, after briefly getting a job, he continued his studies, receiving a bachelor’s degree in literature from Phu Xuan University and a Master of Arts degree in Vietnamese literature from Hue University of Sciences in Hue City.

While he briefly considered becoming a university professor, the pull towards the priesthood remained, and he took the necessary steps to enter the seminary in the Diocese of Vinh. Unfortunately, he says his diocese was being split in two at the time, and only 20 men were being selected from each. His test score put him at number 21.

With the number of seminarians in Vietnam restricted by the government, the Catholic Church there established a partnership with other countries in need of priests, and Father Nguyen says his bishop asked him to consider going to Australia.

“I took my time to pray for around two weeks, and I came up and said, ‘No, I will not go to Australia.’ He asked me why and I said to him, ‘Because that country is so rich. I have prayed and I have a call to serve the poor,’” he says.

He chose to instead go to the Philippines but soon discovered that he was not happy there. Then a friend who lived in New York told him about the need for priests in the United States. He says he reflected on the words of St. Paul.

“St. Paul said that being poor is not just about material things but the faith, too. Those who do not know Christ, they are poor,” says Father Nguyen. “Becoming a priest is helping the poor by inviting them to the table.…That is the way that we can make the people rich.”

Father Nguyen sees his coming to the United States as providential because it was foreign missionaries who brought Catholicism to Vietnam.

“God sent me here. I’m 100 percent sure that He sent me here because I didn’t know anything about the Diocese of Portland,” he says.

Father Nguyen says the transition was not easy, due to the language barrier, the cultural differences, and a Church that seems not nearly as vibrant as the one in Vietnam.

  “I had a shock of the culture and language. I studied a little bit of English in the Philippines. I could speak a little bit and understand a little bit, but the culture is different, and it seems the culture doesn’t help evangelization,” he says.  “I talked with many people around here and their families. The children don’t believe in God. I feel so sorry for them. I don’t know how to help them, but with the help of God, we will try.”

He says he greatly appreciates the support he received at seminary and the many good friends he made there, as well as the support he has gotten from the people of Maine.

“I have a lot of prayers from the people and a lot of support. The Knights of Columbus and many groups support me,” he says.

He is also grateful to the priests who helped to guide him. Among them are Father Vincent Bork, a priest from Arlington, Virginia, who became a mentor to him while he was in seminary and who vested him during the ordination Mass, and Father Daniel Greenleaf, pastor of Prince of Peace Parish in Lewiston, where he spent part of his pastoral year.

“I observed him a lot when he had meetings with a lot of people and the way he supported the people and accepted their ideas and initiatives and found the best way to help them and help the community. If it’s something that is not contrary to morality or to the faith, and it’s good, it’s OK to let it happen,” says Father Nguyen. “Be confident. Trust in people.”

Father Nguyen says he sees the role of the priest as a mediator between God and man, and he is now looking forward to following God’s will and serving the people of Maine.

He says seeing bishops, priests, and people praying for him during the ordination Mass and knowing that the angels and saints in heaven were praying for him, too, was very emotional.

“I know that it’s a blessing that God gave me,” he says. “He anointed me so that I can serve the people, ordained me so I can serve the people, so that I may fulfill everything that God would like me to do for Him in this land, this beautiful vacationland of Maine.”

Father Thanh Duc Pham

Father Pham says the ordination Mass was emotional for him from the moment the opening hymn began.

“When the music started, I just felt like it’s real. It’s become real. It’s the ordination Mass, my ordination Mass. I just cried a lot in the beginning and then again during the anointing with the oil. It was just so emotional,” he says.

He says it feels wonderful to be a priest.

“I am overwhelmed with joy and with humility because I know that it’s not by my own merit but only by God’s love, only by God’s love that I can today become a priest for Him, for Jesus Christ,” he says.

Father Pham is originally from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and like Father Nguyen, he was raised in a large, devout Catholic family. He says his father insisted they attend Mass every day, eat dinner as a family at 6 p.m., and then pray together afterwards.

“We had to sit down together and pray. That was one little thing that just built up my faith, and the experience of my parents and how they kept their faith. Their faith kept them strong through many things,” he says.

 Father Pham says he first felt a call to the priesthood when he was just five years old. He remembers attending Mass with his grandmother and becoming curious about what the priest was drinking. When she explained that it was wine, made from grapes, that had been transformed into the blood of Christ, he remembers thinking, “I love grapes. That is my favorite fruit! I want to be a priest, so I can drink that.”

As he grew up, he became involved in the parish. He was an altar server, a member of the choir, and a reader at the children’s Mass. He says through those experiences and the support of priests, sisters, and catechists, the desire to become a priest grew within him. 

He says he particularly felt a pull to serve the poor in the spirit of Mother Teresa of Kolkata.

“I said, ‘For the poor people, serve the poor. Serve those suffering in different ways. That’s why God is calling me to become a priest,’” he says. “And interestingly, I never thought I would become a diocesan priest.”

Instead, having known a lot of priests from religious orders, he thought that was where he was being called.

“One of the ideas of why I wanted to become a religious priest was because in my mind, it was easier to become a saint when you become a religious priest, and I want to become a saint,” he says.

In 2005, he was accepted as a candidate in the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), with whom he studied for four years. 

He then had to fulfill mandatory military service for 18 months. When he returned home, he began serving at his parish, including as director of the choir and as a youth ministry leader. It was then that his spiritual director asked him to consider whether his calling might instead be to the diocesan priesthood.

“He said that God is calling everyone to live a saintly life. And in any vocation, God first wants you to be happy,” recalls Father Pham.

After spending time in discernment, he applied and was accepted to the seminary for the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City.

While at seminary, Father Pham was approached about going to the United States through Formation Support for Vietnam (FSVN). He said he had always felt a missionary call but thought it might lead him to countries elsewhere in Asia or in Africa.

“I said I can go to be a missionary in Laos, in Cambodia, in Africa, but to go to America? That country is rich. I said, ‘Let me think about that. Let me pray about that for one month.’ And I did pray, especially to the Blessed Virgin Mary. I always pray to her. She plays a vital role in my life, in my vocation. She is my mother. So, I said, ‘Mom, let me know if it is God’s will for me to go to America, to become a priest in America.’ And through prayer and through the consultation of many people, I felt happiness and peace in my heart,” he says.

When he arrived here, he had to first learn English and says while he took classes for a year and a half, it still made his seminary studies in philosophy challenging.

“I would look at the professor and I would understand 20 or 30 percent of what he was saying. And I would just go, ‘God, why did you bring me here? I feel it’s so difficult that I don’t think I can survive.’”

But he put his trust in God and persevered.

“I remembered what St. Paul said, that His grace is enough for you. Keep going. Keep going.”

He remembers spending time before the Blessed Sacrament asking for God’s help.

“It’s just putting my life in God’s hands, and then He will help you,” he says. “It’s a long road, but I think God has a plan for me.”

A plan he says he is ready to fulfill.

“After 15 years in training, I’m very confident in feeling that I’m ready to become His disciple, to become one of His hands, to touch the world, to heal the world, to pour out the Holy Spirit into the world, to sanctify the world,” he says. “I just feel it’s so powerful and beautiful when I can bring Jesus to people.”

Father Pham says he is grateful for the pastoral experience he received while serving with priests from Falmouth to Fort Kent, including Father Greenleaf, who vested him at the ordination Mass.

“One thing he told me when I was with him that I’ll never forget is ‘One more thing for Jesus.’ Because I saw he was going from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. I was going with him to the hospital to visit people, to do different sacraments, and he kept saying, ‘One more thing for Jesus.’ That’s for Jesus, not for himself.”

 He describes being able to bring Jesus to someone as one of the most powerful and beautiful experiences.

“I feel the world right now needs love more than ever, and I want to bring that love from God to everyone, to the world, to the people that God will send me,” he says.

Father Pham says he would like to someday pursue a degree in pastoral counseling so that he can better help people, and he would also like to work with youth and young adults to promote vocations. First, however, he will study canon law at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.