“Some of the guys in the seminary from the Diocese of Calgary recognized me from when I was a child because I would attend these meetings,” chuckled An. With the blessing of the late Bishop Frederick Henry and (former) Vocation Director Fr. Myles Gaffney, Fr. An entered St. Joseph’s Seminary in Edmonton at the age of 19 right after high school. Now, at only 28-years-old, he is realizing his dream of a vocation to the priesthood. New Life in Canada When Fr. An moved to Canada in 2007 at the age of 10 he did not speak a word of English. This was a challenging time for him and his family. His father Dominic (Sungchan) left his career in South Korea as owner/operator of a medical equipment company; he now works as a supervisor at a packaging company. His mother Sophia (Jinhee) remained a stay-at-home-mom raising Fr. An and his younger sister Rosa – currently a travelling nurse living in Seattle. Fr. An’s parents decided to move to Canada for better opportunities for their children. “The move happened and it was a whole different world. There is no preparation for it. I chose little things I could hang onto: my books, music and my faith. Honestly, you are just an idiot for three years,” laughed Fr. An. “There was definitely bullying. You’re an easy target.” His family moved to the Calgary community of Aspen where Fr. An briefly attended Grade 4 at St Michael’s School, before switching to John Costello, the school within his neighbourhood boundary. The following year the family moved to the neighbourhood of Evergreen and he settled in at St Stephen’s School for Grades 5 through 9. He attended Bishop O’Byrne High School where he made some good friends, including a girlfriend for a short time. Fr. An incorporated characteristics of Korean culture – strong work ethic, drive, determination – to help him excel academically and integrate into Canadian culture. South Korea: “It’s a culture where respect is highly demanded; it’s instilled into you at a young age. I grew up with that obedience. It took time to adjust from blind obedience to humble obedience.” While he felt called to humbly obey the promptings of the Lord to enter seminary, his mother was initially apprehensive, but his father was supportive. “My father said, ‘If this is his vocation and if God is calling him, don’t get in between.’ So, in a very real sense my father protected my vocation,” said Fr. An. “My mom eventually accepted it.” Keeping the Faith Fr. An comes from a devout Catholic family. His mother, Sophia, is a cradle Catholic, while Dominic, his father began to search for meaning in his adolescence; Dominic found a Catholic nun to answer his questions and then began bringing his brothers to church and eventually his parents joined the church as well. Calgary’s St. Anne’s Korean Parish was a supportive landing pad for the An family when they arrived in Canada and it continues to be their parish and community today. It wasn’t until entering seminary in 2015 that Fr. An began to pray in English rather than his Korean mother tongue. “I immigrated at the age where I kept a lot of the culture; it’s embedded in me as a person. But I also took on this culture of Canada. English is the language I’m more comfortable with now,” said Fr. An. He said his seminary days were like a second immigration. It’s where he transformed from an adolescent into an adult. He shifted away from obediently doing as his parents told him, and struggling to identify his own preferences, to learning who he was as a man in the sight of the Lord. He uncovered some residual anger from the bullying he faced during his school days trying to integrate into Canadian culture. Healing those wounds allowed his calm, caring phlegmatic personality to shine. He said one the best qualities he brings with him into his ministry is his ability to attentively listen to God, and as a result, to others. Together with the discerning wisdom of his superiors, he took one year off later in his formation to experience life outside of seminary training to broaden his life experience and human formation. “Because I joined right after high school, there was a lot of maturity that needed to happen, a bit more sincerity in formation, and a renewal of zeal,” said An. He had a very fruitful year away working landscaping and other odd jobs and experiencing regular adult life before resuming his studies and doing his internship year at St. Luke's Parish in Calgary. “One of the biggest compliments I got at St. Luke’s was one lady told me: ‘Peter, we can tell that you pray,’” said An with appreciation. 
Written by Sara Francis for Faithfully. Photography by Bandi Szakony for the Diocese of Calgary. View more photos
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Catholic Pastoral Centre Staff and Guest Writers Archives
July 2025
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