My name is Thao-Vy Tran, and I am 18 years old. I was born
and raised in Rochester , MN . This past June, I graduated from Lourdes High School . I am an only child, and I
am very fortunate to have two amazing parents, Cuong and Hoa-Le, who instilled
in me the beautiful Catholic faith, and the seeds of discerning my vocation. Throughout
my life, I have enjoyed volunteering in multiple ways, such as playing piano
and organ for my church, as well as for my school and surrounding parishes. I
was also a volunteer barista at St. James Coffee, which is a Catholic
coffeehouse in Rochester
that contains a chapel, and is a great place for evangelization! I also like to
write and make knotted cord rosaries. For the
past two summers during August, I took part as a Fiat team member for Camp Summit ,
which is a Catholic summer camp put on by the Diocese of Winona. There, I was
able to deeply encounter the merciful love of the Lord through Eucharistic
Adoration, and I was inspired to bring that love to others. It was then that
the overwhelming love of Christ engulfed me, and I knew I had and wanted to
say, “yes,” and give Him my fiat.
Ever since
I was about eleven or twelve, I attended retreats at the Mater Redemptoris
House of Formation, which was how I got to know our Sisters. Their exuberant
joy and charism of “seeking to make the merciful love of Christ visible”
attracted me to this community. I am so excited to be here, and to see how the
Lord will work in my life.
Recently, I found a reflection I had written during my first retreat as a postulant. The last conference that had been given was on Spiritual Motherhood. As I approached the 4 th Station where Jesus meets His Sorrowful Mother, this is what struck my heart: What is the sacrificial love of a mother? It is the self-sacrifice made to love her children. Mary’s self-sacrifice to be there with Christ, her Son, in His passion was the selfless love that united her with Him. Her heart was pierced with 7 swords in the agony of watching her beloved Son endure a cross that He did not deserve, but which He embraced for the love of the Father and mankind. Could she not have said to Jesus, “You don’t have to do this, there are other ways. Do you know how much pain You are causing me and those who love you?” She knew He could have chosen any other way t...
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