Dominic Tran Ngoc Nam
365 TESTIMONIES OF HOSPITALITY |
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Vietnam |
Dominic Tran Ngoc Nam |
When I finished my baccalaureate studies in 1986, my father said to me, “You should choose medicine which is about saving life.” So I applied for acceptance at the School of Medicine in Ho Chi Minh City. Unfortunately I received notice of the entrance examination three weeks too late. So I did not take the exam. While I was waiting for my next chance to sit for the medical school exam I took part in a competition of the Franciscan Order. This meant that I had to summarize and present the relics of St. Francis in a very comprehensive and clear manner. I was invited to try out the Franciscan way but I asked the Father Director for time to think about my vocation. I spent the next three months praying and reading the Bible with care and attention. When I read the scripture connected with the feast of Saint John of God on 8 March I was struck by how he found the will of God for him in the sermon of Saint John of Avila. This made me think of what I knew about the Brothers of Saint John of God whom I knew were in Đong Nai and had had a hospital there. I made further enquiries about them and read more deeply about their founder. This led me to decide to join the Order, which I did in due course. I can say that am very happy to have received and followed my Hospitaller Vocation.