Father Troy Nguyen is a Catholic priest in the diocese of Calgary, and he’s currently navigating a new role as the vicar for young adults.
His work includes spending time on campus at SAIT, the University of Calgary, Mount Royal University, and St. Mary’s University. He is also an avid backcountry hiker and enjoys playing sports.
Ngyuyen sat down with The Press recently to discuss everything from his dreams as a boy to the struggles of post-secondary students to the meaning of life.
What led you to becoming a priest?
When I was a kid, I wanted to be an aeronautical engineer. I didn’t think the priesthood was very exciting – the images I had of it were very boring.
But then I was experiencing life as a teenager, and that’s where you have a lot of questions about the meaning of life. And even though I couldn’t articulate those things, I was like, “Is there more to this life?”
So that’s when I went to a monastery for high school. I didn’t really have faith at that time. I was raised Catholic, but I didn’t explicitly believe in Jesus or God. I went to this school because I was attracted to the sports, but secondly because of the philosophical conversations we were having.
I went to a trial weekend, and we started talking about the matrix and stuff like that, and the philosophical underpinnings of it. I loved The Matrix, but I thought it was just a cool action movie. So learning about the philosophy really intrigued me.
The beauty of the Mass, too – the liturgy was beautiful, the monks singing Vespers, chanting – that really drew me in, despite not really having faith. That school really awakened me to my faith and rediscovery of Jesus. And in that moment, I felt this calling to be a priest.
How has the reality of life as a priest differed from what you expected?
I’m not sure what I expected. I obviously expected doing the normal duties – saying mass, hearing confessions, having meetings and meeting people on Sundays. I’m an introvert, so I always thought that it’d be scary and tiring. And it is some of that stuff sometimes – but I was afraid, because I wasn’t sure if that was going to make me happy.
What’s really changed for me is that I feel very fulfilled, and I feel like my life has a lot of meaning. Even though priests aren’t married, we have this deep intimacy between God and His people. We’re in the middle of that, which is very profound and very beautiful to be a part of. You see people’s lives change. That’s probably the most rewarding thing I get to do.
What’s the most difficult part of being a priest?
Even before I became a priest, I knew that I would never have biological children. So I think — and I’ve talked to other priests, too — you go through a process of mourning. It’s a reality that you have to confront. But God gives you children in different ways, through the people you minister.
What I’m experiencing more is just the workload – just trying to stay balanced. You can work 14 or 16 hours a day, and it’s all good stuff, so how do you find that balance? How do you say no? Sometimes, too, we strive to live the Christian life, but then we’re confronted with our own weakness. That can be difficult – being a leader, but also being confronted with our own weakness.
What is your favourite part of working with post-secondary students and young adults?
There’s a lot of zeal, and energy, and ideas, and it challenges me to run at their pace. So that’s really fun. There’s a lot of things – just human things – that we can do, too. I love just going hiking, or playing basketball, or just eating. There are a lot of great joys with that too.
What have you learned from working with university students and young adults?
They’re looking for a deeper meaning in their lives – they’re looking for a way to make their life meaningful. That’s why they’re going through post-secondary or university. They want to contribute to society in a positive way. There’s a deep desire for that, but our culture can be very confusing at the same time. So they’re looking for guidance.
And university students do struggle. I see that as a priest – there are a lot of deep struggles and pain. A lot of high school kids experience things that people normally don’t experience – trauma, pain, hurt, tragedy. So there’s a desire for integration and wholeness and wellness on a physical and spiritual level.
What are your hopes for the coming year with your campus ministry?
The hope is that we help people build organic communities. People are having a hard time connecting and making friends or relationships. COVID has done a number on a lot of people. So even though we’ve had some positive numbers of people coming to church, there’s still a need for intentional community.
We’re hoping to roll out some book studies, video series studies on particular topics of faith, which will also allow for them to connect with each other.
Do you have any advice for students or young adults?
Find the thing that anchors you. All of us need an anchor. And preferably it’s faith, but if you’re not a person of faith, to even have some sort of truth that you can hold on to – some solid ground.
There’s so much flux, and change, and differing opinions in our world, that we can be pulled left and right and centre. And if we don’t have a firm foundation, we’re just thrown about in the wind. But if we have some sort of truth, or faith, or foundation that we can stand on, it at least gives us some stability and some identity. So hopefully it’s faith, and if people have interest in faith, feel free to talk to me.
Edited for clarity and length.
