From Vietnam to Singapore via France. That is the route that brought the Immaculate Heart of Mary’s new parish priest Fr Paul Ngo Thanh Phong to our shores. Fr Paul, who took charge on Aug 1, 2020, has been in Singapore since 2007. He has served in the parishes of Holy Trinity (2007-2012), Christ the King (2014-2018) and Queen of Peace (2018-2020) as assistant parish priest. In between, from 2012, he spent two years in Taiwan learning Mandarin.

Fr Paul was born and raised in Binh Dinh, a coastal province in the south central part of Vietnam. As a young boy he served as an altar boy in his parish church and gradually found his calling. However, the government authorities allowed only 10 students every two year to join the seminary. As the young Paul waited in hope, the bishop of Nha Trang got him a scholarship in 1996 to do his seminary studies at the St. Jean-Marie Vianney Seminary in Ars, France. After six years of seminary studies he proceeded to study Biblical Theology in the Catholic Institute of Paris. A year before he completed his Masters degree at the Institute, in 2005, he was ordained a priest.

Due to government restrictions, Fr Paul could not return to Vietnam as a priest, since he was not ordained there. His desire, however, was to serve in Asia. He, therefore, joined the Paris Foreign Mission Society or MEP. He spent one year in Paris with the MEP to get to know the community better before he was posted to Singapore.

Fr Paul wants to build a Christ-centered, vibrant, evangelical and missionary community in IHM. He has a message to his parishioners: “I hope to get to know all of you better and to serve the community together with you, and to spread the love of God to everyone through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”

email: [email protected]

Singaporean Fr Luke Fong was ordained in 2001 and served in the parishes of St Anne’s and Our Lady of Perpetual Succour before being posted to IHM in 2008. He had a successful two-year stint as assistant parish priest in the parish. It was during his time here that he started a blog titled Reflections and Ruminations in Aug 2009. The blog has seen more than 280 posts and is going strong.

In 2010, Fr Luke was transferred to Our Lady Star of the Sea parish and two years later, left for Washington to pursue a teaching degree in theology. He, however, fell ill and returned to Singapore to get treated. After receiving a life-saving stem cell transplant for leukaemia in 2013, Fr Luke gradually regained strength and was offered a posting in IHM as assistant priest in February 2015. He admits he is happy to be back among familiar faces. He says he wants to be sincere as a priest and give his best to encourage holiness among IHM parishioners.

Fr Luke was working in the hotel industry when he got his calling to become a priest. Besides writing, he likes to cook and indulge in complicated origami. Before his illness, he paid special attention to fitness and used to swim regularly and pound the streets clocking nearly 40km every week.

email: [email protected]

Father Joseph Kace (pronounced Kah-say) hails from Myanmar and was ordained in April 2009 in Hwarikhu village where he was born. His name “Kay-say” is in his native Hwari language and it means Joseph.

Growing up in Myanmar’s countryside, the young Joseph was tasked to cook

and clean for his large family, consisting of seven siblings. It was no easy task for a young boy who had to juggle school as well. But God, according to him, works in wondrous ways. He was given an opportunity to move to the city and stay in a minor seminary while studying in a government secondary school as long as he did well in his last primary school examinations. Armed with good grades and a desire to move to the city, he took it up and said goodbye to his hometown.

At a young age of 12, Father Joseph did not have a strong desire to be a priest. However, staying in the minor seminary allowed him to practice various spiritual exercises and follow a strick routine juggling between studying and spending time with God. It was then he realized that he was forming a strong spiritual connection, and knew that becoming a priest was his ultimate goal. After passing his secondary school, he moved on to the major seminary to pursue his desire to become a priest.

For recreation Fr Joseph enjoys fishing and loves sporting activities. He jogs at the Serangoon Stadium and is fond of table tennis and badminton and cycling. Also an avid singer, he loves to strum on his guitar and sing songs from 1970s and 1980s.

Fr Joseph has adapted well to Singaporean ways and has no issues with the local food. “I have an international stomach!” he quipped and adds that he is adventurous in his food options.

His specialization is in missionology and he strongly believes that as Christians, we should “make whatever good things you do as a mission of Christ.”

email: [email protected]