Liam Bui is in his second year of study at Corpus Christi College, the regional seminary for Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia. He says his decision to pursue a vocation to the priesthood began with a prayer of surrender, asking, “Lord, what do you want for me? And really surrendering my will to him.”
By Melbourne Catholic
Liam was a university student studying science before joining the seminary. “Entering uni, I wouldn’t say I’d had a strong faith. It came mostly from my family — mum and dad growing up — and also my grandmother, who taught me how to pray.”
Vocation to the Priesthood: From Family Prayer to University
“When I was really young, and my parents went to work, we would be sent to our grandparents’ house. We’d always pray before meals and my earliest memories of prayer were kneeling up [near] my bed.”
“[We] had afternoon naps and before we slept, my grandma clasped my hands and said, ‘repeat after me’. And it was a simple prayer: ‘Thank you for the food we ate, thank you for my parents’ work to provide for this day, and for this chance to be together.'”
“And I think that was my ‘first prayer’, if you will, or a guided prayer that my grandma had. And that was really my earliest memory of faith … that we give thanks in gratitude for the things we have, but also pray for things that needed the guidance and the providential care of God.”
In addition to time spent with his grandparents, Liam’s family would attend weekly Mass and pray as a family. “At least once during the week, [we’d pray] the Rosary together. And especially during the Covid days when we couldn’t go to Mass, we’d go to online Mass and there would be a life of prayer as a family.”
Vocation to the Priesthood: Finding His Way Back to Faith
His prayer life didn’t necessarily filter through to his life at university, he says. “I’d have a divide between my family life, prayer life, and then the uni life and the friends I’d made weren’t necessarily Catholic.”
This “divide” prompted Liam to reflect deeply about how he wanted to move forward with his faith. “There was a need to sort of unify myself … I needed to be one person. I needed to either have faith or live life according to my friends who weren’t Catholic.”
This discernment led Liam to seek out the university’s Catholic campus ministry. “That led me to find more Catholic friends, and a faith community in college through JPII House [the Catholic campus ministry]. And that really did reignite or ignite my faith. The little kindling came from my family who had solid foundations. But the fire that burns really came from the Lord, first and foremost, inspiring me in this path and in this way of finding more Catholic friends and really searching for the faith.”
Liam credits his involvement with the Catholic campus ministry and Catholics of One Spirit Down Under (COSDU) with helping him deepen his prayer life and “helping me be where I am today.”
The Moments That Confirmed a Vocation to the Priesthood
Liam says it was “several moments along the way” that led him to pursue a vocation to the priesthood. The first moment was during a Mass he’d attended during exams at university.
“It was a vigil Mass, and I had been really busy with exams. I was just kneeling there. I had multiple exams the next week. My mind was all over the place.”
“But at the time of consecration I remember the priest saying, ‘This is my body. I give it up for you. Do this in memory of me.’ I had this surge of peace, despite all these exams and worries … despite all those troubles, I had this conviction that there was nothing greater I could be doing than serving our Lord kneeling there in that Mass. And it was just this also a surge of faith that our Lord is really there by the hands of a priest.”
The next moment arrived in Liam’s final year at university, when he needed to start thinking about his next step.
“The trend was people were looking for internships, for jobs, for postgraduate study. And I really wanted to do something that I was passionate about. I was doing science at the time, and I really did enjoy being in a lab and doing science and it really interests me. But there was nothing else apart from campus ministry, which I had been heavily involved in, that made me passionate.”
“I just remember spending more time planning events and on a deeper level, seeing how I could bring Christ to others and bring others to him, myself included.”
This happened to coincide with Good Shepherd Sunday, and Liam asked himself: “Is the Lord calling me to be a shepherd? Is the Lord giving me the grace to do it?” And if indeed the Lord was calling him, “how is the Lord inviting me to respond?”
Vocation to the Priesthood: Life at Corpus Christi College Seminary
Liam is now in his second year of study and formation at Corpus Christi College, one of the recipients of the annual Archbishop’s Campaign which raises funds to go towards the formation of about 30 men preparing for the priesthood.
“The day starts off in the chapel at 7am when we recite the Divine Office morning prayer, have meditation and holy Mass. Prayer really grounds and scaffolds our day.”
“I remember a priest in a discernment session once said, ‘the life of a priest is a life of prayer.’ That’s the life of a seminarian as well. And feeding from our prayer is our study. So an intellectual pillar of learning, theology and philosophy and learning about Christ and through the Scriptures and through theology. And really engaging our mind in the life of the Church and what revelations the Lord has for us that draws us to him and in [his] service.”
Liam is also enjoying his pastoral placement experiences. “I’ve been lucky enough this year to be placed at Keilor Downs teaching catechism and first Reconciliation,” says Liam. “It’s an introduction to teaching children the faith and preparing them for the sacraments. It’s another dimension of learning how to be pastoral to people … how to be a shepherd.”
Liam is appreciative of the holistic approach to formation at the seminary. “From prayer life to study and the pastoral, but also just the health. We have a soccer tournament coming up and in our spare time, [we’re] encouraged to run and build our fitness. We also have time to engage in hobbies and for me, I pick up the piano.”
Called to Serve: Walking with People to Christ
Reflecting on this year’s theme for the Archbishop’s Campaign, “Courage! … Do not be afraid (Jn 14:27),” Liam says he finds courage from prayer and seeking what the Lord is asking of him.
“Our Lord is there to guide us. He wants holy priests; he wants holy people. He wants everyone to be with him. This passage [Jesus calling Peter onto the water] encourages me to really be aware and conscious of the presence of our Lord in everything I do, and that everything is in service, first and foremost, [to] the Lord.”
“The Lord is the one who guides us and gives us the means to do it, and the grace and strength to respond according to his will,” he says. “I really relate to Peter trying to walk on water but then sort of falling in with doubt. But every time I doubt, the Lord seems to respond and really make me aware of his presence, of his desire not for success, but for his drawing us to him, for communion, to him.”
“I don’t know in his divine wisdom what he has planned for me and what that would look like, but it’s him holding out his hand, saying, ‘Trust me, my way is better. My way will get you to where not only I want, but where you want to be.'”
“The Lord is asking [me] to give my whole self,” reflects Liam. “And like he did with Peter, he’ll give the grace to do it and he will make the path really clear.”
For Liam, responding to Jesus’ call means “being crucified in a spiritual sense.”
“For me it means a whole ‘giving of myself to the people’ in terms of bringing others to Christ and bringing Christ to them. The Lord asks for a holistic gift of self because the Lord gives himself wholly, and he gives the means for us to do it.”
While only in his second year, Liam is already looking forward to ministering to people through the sacraments and spiritual accompaniment. “The walking with people, guiding them to Christ … seeing them grow closer to God [is] not only rewarding for me, but also it helps me to grow closer to God.”
He is grateful to all those who are supporting him on his journey through prayer and support of the diocesan seminary.
“It’s said that the seminary chapel is the most important place in the diocese because that’s where the heart of a man is transformed into the heart of Christ,” he says. “So that’s only possible, firstly, by the prayer of the people and prayer for vocations for more men to say yes, but also for seminaries to continue their formation [of these men] into Christ, the Good Shepherd.”
“I’m sure a lot of seminarians would agree that there’s been moments where you feel like giving up or feel it’s really difficult, but by some unexplainable grace of God is a push to keep going.”
“I think the motivation is ultimately for the service of the people. So the prayers and the support — financially or otherwise — is for the people and for the man to be conformed to Christ. That is an impossible task. But the Lord gives the grace to do it — the grace for the man, but also the grace for the people to pray and give generously.”
This article was first published by Melbourne Catholic and has been republished to EWTN Australia.
