Fr. Joseph Canh Vu, OP: Steadfastness

A vocation requires faithfulness — a certain amount of determination and trust in God to see it through to its fruition. Fr. Joseph Canh Vu has certainly had his vocation tested, and it is his faithfulness to that vocation that has carried him through many trial.

Fr. Joseph was born in Vietnam in 1953, shortly before the country was partitioned into North and South, and baptized at St. Dominic’s Parish a week after his birth — it seems as though his vocation has been Dominican through and through. He is the youngest of four children from a Catholic family, and he credits his mother with developing his nascent faith life by inviting him to attend Mass every evening. He entered the minor seminary at age 12, where he was formed by the Dominicans, and gradually grew in the Dominican vocation, with time and with age. After a year of novitiate, which he describes as “real formation in the Dominican vocation”, he entered into further studies, professing his vows on the feast of St. Dominic, August 8th, 1973.

However, the political situation in Vietnam did not allow for Fr. Joseph to complete his studies. A year after the fall of Saigon, the Dominican house of studies in Thu Duc was seized by the Communist government, and Fr. Joseph was forced to return home. He then made the decision to flee Vietnam as one of the thousands of boat people — fleeing as a refugee on a boat from Vietnam before being rescued by a Norwegian vessel and brought to Japan. He remained in Japan for six months, before meeting the provincial prior of the Canadian province of Dominicans, who have had a mission in Japan since 1927. He was accepted to come to Canada to finish his studies, and arrived in Montreal on May 21st, 1980. Assigned to Ottawa in September of 1980, he undertook his studies at the Dominican University College of Ottawa, being ordained to the priesthood on May 20th, 1984, one day shy of his fourth anniversary in Canada.

Upon ordination, Fr. Joseph served in a number of chaplaincies in Ottawa, including the Vietnamese Catholic community, and St. Vincent Hospital. His time at the hospital was spent “growing in Canadian culture”, being present to the patients at the hospital, giving consolation to people who are sick and helping them to believe in God’s love. At the same time, a significant part of the ministry was also being present to the doctors and nurses of the hospital, helping them overcome work stress. After retiring from hospital ministry, he was assigned to St. Vincent Liem Parish in Calgary, where he was tasked in building the new church in Forest Lawn — a lesson in patience as he asked for help and contributions.

When asked about how to grow in our relationship with God, Fr. Joseph stresses the primacy of turning our regard to Him. Whenever we feel empty in our hearts, we must turn to God. This emptiness can come because we are very busy; without time for the Eucharist, our hearts are empty. In his experience as a hospital chaplain, he has seen that when hardships come, particularly health issues, we realize we need spiritual help — when people become injured, they have time to reflect on their futures and their life with God. 

In the development of vocations, Fr. Joseph believes that parents hold the key as the first teachers of the faith. Basic formation always starts with parents, and so a call to a life of service in the Church starts in the home.  He also stresses the importance of spiritual reading and prayer in order to build religious knowledge as part of the spiritual life. As well, he considers our relationship with others to be the measure of our spiritual life. These are the three pillars of the spiritual life for Fr. Joseph — reading, prayer and service. Through all of this, a constant source of strength for Fr. Joseph has been steadfast faithfulness to the Dominican life. The Liturgy of the Hours and Mass with his confreres at the priory have been his spiritual bedrock, which have helped him overcome all kinds of difficulty. 

​Fr. Joseph’s journey has been something of a saga, from Vietnam, through Japan, to hospitals in Ottawa, and now ministering in the midst of downtown Calgary. Yet through it all, his faithfulness to his vocation is what allows us to celebrate his forty years as a priest.

Fr. Joseph Canh Vu, OP

• Ordained:  May 20th, 1984, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church, Ottawa
• Chaplain:  Lycée Claudel, Ottawa (1984-1986)
• Chaplain:  Vietnamese Catholic Community, Ottawa (1984-1991)
• Chaplain:  St. Vincent Hospital, Ottawa (1986-1991)
• Further Studies:  1991-1993
• Chaplain:  Vietnamese Catholic Community, Ottawa (1993-2001)
• Chaplain:  St. Vincent Hospital, Ottawa (1993-2009)
• Pastor:  St. Vincent Liem, Calgary (2009-2016)
• Pastor:  St. Francis of Assisi, Calgary (2018-present)

---

Read more:

• St. Francis of Assisi: Spiritual Refuge in the City
• A Shrine to Our Lady Lavang

---

Written by Solomon Ip for Faithfully.