Unlike the priests from the past, current parish priests are oftentimes being thrown into “hot water” with little to no administrative preparation. Military priests can tell you that we are expected to wear three “hats” to fulfill three distinctive roles! We have a threefold responsibility of being a priest, a chaplain, and an officer at the same time. With those threefold expectations in mind, and removing the military or bureaucratic nonsenses, I believe they can become a source of encouragement for priests to be spiritually, pastorally, and administratively effective in ministering, caring, and leading their parish communities and people at large as shepherds who know, understand, and can be present with those who are entrusted to them.
Table of Contents
Introduction 4
Spiritually Mission Ready 9
Part 1: What They Do Not Teach Us in the Seminary 10
Part 2: Lesson of the Broken Pipes 14
Part 3: To Lead and to Shepherd 19
Part 4: “Father, Mom Waited for You…” 24
Part 5: Without Words 28
Part 6: Who Does God Say That I Am? 32
Pastorally Mission Ready 38
Part 1: Seeing As He Sees 40
Part 2: Mission-Focused and Genuine Care 45
Part 3: Place of Refuge and Rest 49
Part 4: Accepting Life’s Messiness 55
Part 5: Not Chasing After Wants 60
Part 6: Restorer of Damaged Goods 64
Administratively and Personally Mission Ready 69
Part 1: Lifelong Learning 71
Part 2: Charity, Fundraising, and Stewardship 78
Part 3: Accepting the Will of God 83
Part 4: To Be a Priest 87
Part 5: Learning to Be Attentive to Ourselves 92
Part 6: “You Are a Priest… Thank you.” 97
Conclusion 104
About Father Khoi 110
As stated in the past, I meant for all the books to be free, but Amazon does charge for their Kindle eBook and paperback formats, so I try to keep the prices very nominal (to cover the fees). However, the PDF files will always remain free for download. Additionally, any earnings will be accounted for and shared with the poor (because God has blessed me more than what I will ever need in this life). These were composed to be easily shared, available, and hopefully help people along the Way, not to make money or gain attention for myself.
Please note that I am not a professional writer, knowledgeable theologian, or skilled spiritual master, so you will find numerous writing mistakes and grammatical errors. I would like to apologize ahead of time because I did not use AI, hire a professional to proofread, or worry about making everything look perfect. I read and watched a few tutorials and did my best to figure things out with my limited computer and design skills. I struggled through the process, but keeping things imperfect is a great reminder for me as a recovering perfectionist and of my humanity!
Please leave a review, drop me an email, or message me via a social media platform if you find them helpful. I would love to hear your thoughts! If you find them less than desirable, please forgive and continue to pray for me. Thank you.
— Books
— Why I am a Military Chaplain
— I Thirst (John 19:28) Spiritual Reflections
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viet nam | united states of america | kansas | texas | congregation of the most holy redeemer | diocese of fort worth | archdiocese for the military services | united states air and space forces | english – español – tiếng việt | may 22 – june 29 | holy trinity seminary | st. mary’s seminary | ba – gcsf – ma – mdiv – stb | university of dallas – creighton university – university of st. thomas – st. mary’s seminary and university
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