About Father Khoi

I was born in the Southeast Asian country of Viet Nam.

I respond to “Father/Padre/Cha Khoi” because we call each other by our first name in Vietnamese.

I was baptized and given Saint Francis Xavier as my baptismal patron saint. My Confirmation saint is Saint John the Baptist. When I entered the novitiate, I took on the name of the Blessed Mother, Mary, as a part of my Christian name.

When I was young, we had very little as a result of the Viet Nam War, especially under the strict and oppressive post-war Communist rule. By the (unimaginable) grace of God, our family was given the opportunity to immigrate to the United States. We settled in Kansas, where most of my father’s side of the family resided at the time. After graduating from high school, I went to Texas to begin my priestly formation.

I joined a religious order and stayed with them for five years, and under the guidance and encouragement of my Novice Master, I discerned to transition from religious life to diocesan seminary formation.

I was ordained to the priesthood on June 29 more than a decade ago.

I am now serving our military personnel and their families in the United States Air Force (and Space Force) as an active-duty chaplain.

I love being a priest.

Is it easy? The answer is no, but the journey is definitely filled with many blessings.

I learned a lot as a parish priest. Those years were both challenging and formative as they helped me to become an attentive spiritual father, shepherd, pastor, and steward. I always joked with my parishioners that people in the pews will only listen to us talk about love after they see that the lights are on (bills paid) and there are no leaks in the church (maintenance done). I truly learned a lot… On top of being available to care for people, I had to find creative ways to financially operate in the black (especially when the COVID-19 pandemic hit), save money and pay off outstanding debts, organize and execute capital campaigns, oversee construction and renovation projects, and establish and maintain endowment funds to leave lasting legacies. The responsibilities were heavy and tiring at times, but those years taught me many valuable lessons.

I now get to spiritually accompany, guide, advise, and serve alongside our troops through the ups and downs of life. Interestingly, I always have a desire to be a missionary working with the poor, forgotten, and abandoned, and that was one of the main reasons why I first joined a missionary religious order… but God graciously led me to a different path with diocesan priestly formation. In His providential goodness, He has now allowed me to be a laborer in the missionary fields of the military by preparing souls, ploughing and breaking through hardened hearts, tilling and cultivating goodness, and planting seeds of faith, hope, and love with how I care and treat people with dignity and respect — whether they have faith or not. It has been an honor to serve as a way to repay America for giving my family and me a newfound freedom that was not afforded under the Communist regime in Viet Nam.

I am in love with Christ. I embrace my vocation because He has called me to care, shepherd, and give my life to serve the Church. It is not easy, and I pray daily for the grace of perseverance. I put my trust and hope that He, the One who has called me and I love with all my heart, keeps me safe and faithful to the mission given at my ordination.

I write as a way to pray and reflect on my own faith journey. I also podcast my homilies for former parishioners, family, and friends who are living far away. Both of them are named “I Thirst” (John 19:28), after Saint Mother Teresa of Kolkata‘s own motto for her life and the Missionaries of Charity sisters. And as you can tell by now, I have a great devotion to the “saint of the slums.” I love her simple and heartfelt charism, which is founded on the love of Christ in the Eucharist and the service of the poorest of the poor.

I try to share what I have preached and written, not to garner attention to myself but to make known the Good News that the Kingdom of God is at hand, and we are called to change our lives in conformity to His will. I have always been taught and believe deep within my heart that the one who writes, preaches, or shares with others must be challenged and converted by what comes from prayers first. What I have shared with you, therefore, is what I have experienced in my own spiritual journey and prayer times.

I am not a knowledgeable theologian or a skilled spiritual master. I am simply a priest who is in love with Christ Jesus. I am imperfect and still struggle in my faith journey to seek, love, and give myself totally and completely to Him. Even in my weaknesses and limitations, I am trying my best each and every day to love Him. I believe the Lord sees and knows the deepest desires of our hearts, so we can only be honest and genuine with Him. And, if we truly love Him, we have to humbly and genuinely share what He has done for us so others can come to know and love Him as well.

I hope what I have imperfectly written in my books and reflections or preached in my homilies might help you in some small ways with your faith journey. English is not my first language, so please excuse the grammatical mistakes, and if I stutter in my homilies, please forgive me because it has been a struggle since I was young. Please pray for me (as I am for you) in your mercy and kindness. I truly believe that prayer is the greatest gift we can give one another! I know I would not be where I am today without those who have prayed for me.

God bless you.

— Books

— “Why I am a Priest”

— Podcast Information

— I Thirst (John 19:28) Spiritual Reflections

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