El Obeid, Sudan, 1 April 2022 -- Fr Joseph Hung Quoc, SDB, missionary to Sudan over the past ten years.
How was your early journey of faith?
I was born into a Catholic family, the third of six children. One of my sisters died early due to serious sickness and during her sickness, the whole family turned to God, we prayed day and night; our faith become stronger, and my parents started to help in the parish. As children, we looked at the hard work of our mother and father and we try to live our faith and study hard. Two years after my elder brother entered the diocesan seminary I followed by becoming an Aspirant of Don Bosco. Thanks to my family's faith education, we were always reminded to never give up our prayers. Our family was struggling economically, but we never missed daily Mass at 3:30 AM. Through the Holy Eucharist, we became stronger and thanked God for everything. We offer ourselves to the Lord to serve Him and serve our neighbors.
Your first contact with the Salesians?
I was born in a diocesan parish. I did not know Salesians, up to 20 years of age, although my friend asked me to join a group of Salesian aspirants. But my only intention was to come to play games. We came every Sunday to the Salesian house to learn something new. I found the charism of Don Bosco to be very interesting, and I fell in love with Don Bosco. I put into practice whatever I learned from the Salesian Brothers and Fathers. At that time there were three aspirants in my parish and we tried to gather other young people to play games every day, and teach them catechism. Day by day we entered into the Salesian spirit and gradually become Salesians of Don Bosco.
How were you attracted to follow Don Bosco?
I love my vocation, I believe that God called me as a Salesian and helped me to discover myself and I found myself more confident in the Salesian house. I'm grateful to God and for the missionaries sent to Vietnam. After the years of philosophy, I discerned to become a missionaries ad gentes. I recall that at the moment I wrote the letter, Father Rector asked me: which country would you like to go to? I answered him immediately, I had no specific country to choose. I thank God for his call and am ready to go wherever when superiors send me. So here I am, a missionary in Sudan, and ten years from that time up to now. I am still happy with my vocation.
What makes you happy as Salesian Missionary in Africa?
I am simply happy to live my Salesian vocation and serve others. After living 3 years in El Obeid (Sudan), I'm able to adapt to the local situation, understand the people, and be with them. The biggest challenge for me is Arabic. So far I haven't had the chance for a good course in this language.
What are your missionary dreams after these first 10 years in the Missions?
My first dream is to learn more Arabic so that I can express myself, and help people especially young people more fruitfully.
And my second dream is to be a good missionary!
What is your advice to young Salesians who consider a missionary vocation?
My humble advice: to become a missionary ad gentes is a call and a gift from God. When we come to the missionary project, we believe it is home, they are my people. Forget about the past to live a new life. In this way we live and act as if we are at home, we able to feel at home.
