Fr. Andrew Pyon: A call that began at 16

Fr. Andrew Pyon was born in Seoul, Korea, in 1955, the youngest of four children. His father was a government lawyer but had no retirement plan, so when Andrew was 15, the whole family emigrated to Buenos Aires, Argentina. There, they faced the challenges of settling in a new country, including a language barrier. Unable to practice law, his father instead worked as a tomato farmer. After two years, the farm failed, and he had to look for other work. It was a difficult time for the family as they adjusted to life in a new country.
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One year after arriving in Argentina, Andrew heard what he describes as “a really strong inner voice that I must be a priest. So, I followed that voice.” He was 16 years old.

​“Since I was young and didn’t know how to go about that, I went to see someone. I remembered there was a priest at my Junior High school, so I went to see one of the priests, Fr. Paleta. 

I knew that he was a priest, but I didn’t know that there were diocesan and Religious priests. Fr. Paleta said, ‘Don’t worry, I will help you. There is nothing to worry about.’” Later Andrew realized that Fr. Paleta was a member of the Salesian community.

​He arranged for Andrew to attend the Salesian minor seminary. He was there for two years to finish high school, then entered formation in the novitiate for one year. He made temporary vows and was sent back to Buenos Aires to study philosophy and the science of education at university.

After four years, he was qualified as a teacher. His superiors sent him to Paraguay as a missionary, which also served as his internship as a teacher. He taught there for two years, then left the Salesians when Fr. Steve Molnar of the Diocese of Calgary invited him to continue his seminary training. Desiring to complete his education in Canada, Andrew came and was sent to St. Joseph’s Seminary in Edmonton to study theology until 1986, when he was ordained by Bishop Paul O’Byrne on Pentecost, May 17, 1986.

Fr. Andrew’s first assignment was to St. Mary’s Cathedral, where he remained for three years. Then, in July 1989, he was sent to St. Joseph’s parish in Calgary as associate pastor with Fr. Don Vonbrack, the pastor. Sadly, Fr. Vonbrack died one month after Fr. Andrew arrived. Bishop Paul asked Fr. Andrew to take over the parish as administrator, a position he held for one year.

He was then moved to High River as pastor for 1990–1992. At that time, the old church needed renovations, and Fr. Andrew oversaw these changes. He said the church was built at ground level with no basement, but the walls had soil piled around them, creating a hill that allowed children to climb up and touch the roof. There was no parish hall, only the church and rectory. The renovations took two years, resulting in the parish church we can see today.
In 1992, Fr. Andrew received an invitation from some American priests to live in the USA to work for the US Bishops Conference Immigrants Pastoral Care Office. He served there from 1993 to 1998.

Fr. Andrew celebrating his 70th birthday with the St. Martha's and All Saints parishes

Bishop Frederick Henry came to the Diocese of Calgary in 1995, and in 1998, when Fr. Andrew’s contract with the U.S. Bishops’ office ended, Bishop Henry asked him to return to Calgary and serve as pastor of Corpus Christi Parish. He remained there for two years before being appointed to Canadian Martyrs Parish, where he served for another two years. At the time, the Diocese was considering changes to some parish communities, including possible amalgamations, in response to changing pastoral needs. As part of this process, the Korean Catholic community and Canadian Martyrs Parish came together as Korean and Canadian Martyrs Parish. Over time, it became clear that this arrangement was not the best fit for the communities involved, and the Korean Catholic community eventually moved to St. Anne’s Korean Parish.

Bishop Henry later asked Fr. Andrew to help establish a new parish community in Hidden Valley in Calgary, with the hope of eventually building a church there. Fr. Andrew served the community for five years, but plans for a new church building could not move forward due to insufficient funding.​

Bishop Henry later appointed Fr. Andrew as pastor of St. Mary’s Parish in Cochrane, where he served for three years before being diagnosed with stage three cancer. He underwent surgery and chemotherapy, but as his health declined, he found he could no longer continue his ministry as before. Around this time, Bishop William McGrattan was installed as Bishop of Calgary. Fr. Andrew asked Bishop McGrattan for permission to retire, and his request was granted.
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​Throughout these years of priestly ministry, Fr. Andrew had also been caring for his mother. She wanted to live in a house, and after his retirement, they moved to Lethbridge, where Fr. Andrew found a home they could afford. His mother passed away there last year. Fr. Andrew continues to assist other priests and serve in parishes as his health allows.

Over the years, Fr. Andrew has also encouraged young women and men as they discerned the Lord’s call to a vocation in the Church. His advice to those considering a vocation comes from his own experience: “I just tell them that as long as my ego is alive, community life is difficult. Focus on the community instead of myself. It is worth trying the seminary and working for the people. Don’t wait to decide in the seminary or novitiate. Decide before you enter and stick to it. I relied on that inner voice that I heard over 50 years ago, and I never changed my mind to be a priest.”

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Written by Sr. Dianne Turner after an interview with Fr. Andrew Pyon. We thank Solomon Ip and Sr. Dianne for coordinating this jubilarian feature and helping collect stories and materials.​ Jubilarian group photo courtesy of Fr. Iqbal Kurshid​.