“Peace and joy are fruits of doing God’s will”

Diaconate ordination Nov. 5

Twenty-seven deacon candidates from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City will be ordained to the permanent diaconate by Archbishop Coakley on Nov. 5 at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help after spending four years in formation.  

One of the deacon candidates, Long Luong, and his wife Sandy Luong spoke to the Sooner Catholic about the ordination and being ordained a deacon.

Name: Long and Sandy Luong

Family: Three grown children and a granddaughter. Nhu and her husband Nghiep Nguyen, An, and Thien-Nhi. Luong came to the United States in 1980.

Home Parish: Saint James Catholic Church and Saint Andrew Dung-Lac Catholic Church, Oklahoma City.

Occupation: Engineer 

Q: How did you know you were being called to the diaconate?

Long: God used his messengers to inform me of his will. Since the beginning of 2000, to encourage my children to learn Vietnamese, I participated in teaching Vietnamese at Saint Andrew Dung-Lac. Sister Mary invited me to be a catechist, preparing high school youth for receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. I enrolled in classes at the Catholic Pastoral Center to learn more about the Catholic Church and the Sacraments. Spending time adoring the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament led me to a personal relationship with Christ whom I once asked, “Lord Jesus, help me to love you.” Sometime later, a deacon in my class at the pastoral center suggested to me to consider the diaconate. Later, Archbishop Coakley came to our parish for confirmation. While waiting for Archbishop Coakley to meet with the Confirmation candidates before Mass, a deacon walked over and said, “You need to consider becoming a deacon for our parish.” Father Gregory also approached me, saying “Long, you need to apply for the diaconate.” I prayed for discernment, and with Sandy’s approval, I stepped forward. If peace and joy are fruits of doing God’s will, I am certain that Sandy and I have experienced it.

Q: What has been the most rewarding aspect of being a deacon candidate? 

Long: Discerning the call and being formed as the servant heart of Jesus in the company of caring and sincere heart couples has continued showing that the Church that Jesus found is universal, and we are the body of Christ.

Sandy: This event is very important to me because my husband is going to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders, being called as a servant of God with faith, leadership and obedience. This has impacted my family because we have witnessed the sacrament that God has bestowed on my husband, helping us to always live with God’s holiness and grace, with my husband as an example. 

Q: What special ministry will you undertake? 

Long: Where I came from, family is the basic cell of society, therefore, I will be involved in ministries such as faith formation for youth, adults and eldercare.

Q: What is your favorite Scripture passage?

Long: I love the Gospel of John. A couple of my favorite Scripture passages are: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16), and “I came that they might have life and have it abundantly” (Jn 10, 10).
 
Q: What do you look forward to most in your ministry as a deacon?
 
Long: With eyes gazing on Jesus, I will serve God as his will is made known to me through the archbishop and his priests, and the director of the permanent diaconate.

Sandy: I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide every candidate on the path of service, holiness and love in becoming a deacon of the Catholic Church.

Eliana Tedrow is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.