The Induction of Father Louis Le Van Hong as Parish Priest at Our Lady of the Assumption on  21/01/11

The following summary of Fr Louis Le Van Hong life was read by Canon Garry Byrne

Louis was born to a family of fruit growers in South Vietnam.  An older brother became a priest.

He completed his training for the priesthood, enduring many hardships because of the conflict in his country, and was ready for ordination in 1978.  The Communist Government would not allow anyone to be ordained.  His Bishop asked him to help in a parish, where he particularly led the young people.  After six years a local government official tried to persuade him to turn informer, but he refused.  He told his parish priest who advised him to escape the country.  His Bishop and father agreed.  His mother did not and tried to stop him going.

On his first attempt at escape, he was arrested and imprisoned for three months in a room with 50 or 60 other men.  The heat was terrible, with little ventilation.  After a week the others elected him leader.  He paid the guards to bring in poles, so that they could make fans.  He organised a rota, so they took it in turns to fan those who were sleeping.

At his second attempt in 1984 he reached Cambodia, penniless by that time.  A friend taught him for three months how to make keys by hand.  He and eleven others made a plan to escape.  They would live and work and save together until they could buy two fishing boats, to have a crew of six each.  If you lost the key to your motorbike, Louis could make a replacement in five minutes, or your money back!  He made a lot of money that way.  It took them two years to realise their plan.

They reached Thailand, abandoned their boats, and joined a Vietnamese Refugee Camp.  There Louis met and befriended, among others, Anthony Pam Tri Van, now parish priest in Cradley Heath.  They and others used their year to teach the children in the camp.  They could have sought ordination in Rome or America but Fr Joseph Vu-Duc-Yen had been ordained for our diocese and they chose us.  Archbishop Maurice sponsored them and after a time at Oscott College, Fr Louis was ordained on 7th July 1990, some 20 years after he had answered Our Lord’s call.

link to all photos