Michael Chau’s Story June 18, 2022
In 2001 I came from Vietnam to the United States with my mom and younger brother. We moved to an apartment and later a house in Beaverton. Soon my Vietnamese uncle who came to the U.S. before me, introduced me to some people who became close friends including Huong Luong and Tom Owens. Huong was an original member of the St. Anthony’s Vietnamese community and she and her entire family had been sponsored into the U.S. by Tom and Bonnie Owens in 1989. Huong took a personal interest in me and after getting to know me, invited me to consider becoming a Catholic. My Vietnamese uncle who moved to the US before me and was an inactive Buddhist was strongly opposed to me becoming Catholic. Despite his protests, I decided to become Catholic and was baptized, made my first communion and confirmation at St. Anthony’s in 2011. Since then, I have learned to appreciate the Mass and the opportunities to get to know Jesus better through the support of people at St. Anthony’s and St. Clare’s.
Three examples of my work to help the poor and neglected include: 1) My support for My Lam School in southern Vietnam; 2) Volunteering to help participants in a program for people with learning disabilities at Elsie Stuhr Senior Center in Beaverton and 3) becoming a Eucharistic Minister at St. Clare’s church in distributing communion to people there.
- Several years ago, I became aware of the needs of orphans and handicapped children in a Catholic school in Vietnam serving both Vietnamese families and orphans from Cambodia. In addition to donating money from my monthly federal support for people, like me, with learning disabilities, I worked with Tom Owens to get donations from relatives and friends and from the Knights of Columbus at St. Clare and St Anthony’s. In 2011, I went with Tom and two others to Vietnam to visit, attend a friend’s wedding and spend several days at My Lam School getting to know the staff and students. They operate a preschool program focused on Cambodia orphans from the nearby community and enroll students grades K through 12th to provide both academics and career/vocational training. This helps assure that graduates have necessary training and experience to get appropriate jobs to support themselves and their families. The children who live there are guided by Catholic sisters and lay teachers.
- Two years ago, I learned of the need for volunteers at the Elsie Stuhr Center in Beaverton to assist adults with learning disabilities enrolled in a recreational program. I volunteer every Monday evening by setting up the room for games and other activities, serving refreshments and helping clean up the facility. I enjoy the personal contacts with staff and participants there and have come to know them as friends.
- While I feel it is important for me to help children and adults locally and in Vietnam, I also have felt drawn to help within the Catholic community. For several years I have served as a Eucharistic Minister twice a month at St. Clare’s Church where I go on Sundays. I have noticed that most of the Eucharistic Ministers serving there in the past were white elderly women. As a young man of color, I sensed the need for greater diversity to be represented at the altar. I applied, received training, and now serve regularly in that ministry. This service has helped me become more aware of the tremendous gift of Christ in the Eucharist and I feel happy to bring Christ to others. In addition to serving as a Eucharistic Minister I have also been active in the Knights of Columbus at St. Clare. Activities include serving as an officer, preparing and serving at their pancake breakfasts, participating in several statewide KC annual conferences, assisting in their Easter egg hunt, and in the special masses for people with disabilities.
In recent months, I have come to appreciate the gift of mentorship and generosity. Two Vietnamese friends I met in Tigard are Linh and his family who now live near Seattle, and his sister, Loan, and her family, who live in Salem. Both were part of the St. Anthony’s community. Linh helped me to learn about and serve the poor, to become aware of the orphans and handicapped children of My Lam School and to better understand my Catholic faith and American culture. Loan taught me to cook Vietnamese food, understand more about my Vietnamese culture, and helped me become a better Catholic. I now call them my brother and sister. As a result of their influence, I have become more involved in my faith and have developed a growing interest in supporting their young children as they develop in their Catholic religion. For example, I recently attended my niece’s first communion in Salem and bought her a rosary and Catholic children’s book.
Although I have a very limited monthly income from Social Security Insurance (SSI), I have been able to help support various groups. I am helping Mt. Angel seminary and abbey by including them as beneficiaries in my insurance and donating to groups such as: Medical Teams International, an organization headquartered in Tigard that provides medical supplies and staff to assist families suffering in Ukraine and elsewhere; to Catholic Relief Services who are assisting refugees fleeing from Ukraine; and to St. Andrew’s Nativity School in NE Portland, a Jesuit middle school enrolling low-income students in grades 6 to 8. They prepare children to become successful in their future education and employment and to lead a meaningful life as active Christians. My grief over the recent mass shootings of children in Texas and other states has led me to keep these children and their families in my prayers and to contact our Oregon members of congress to strongly urge them to develop and support new gun control legislation to reduce similar horrors in the future.
As I mature in my faith through programs such as the Good News People, I hope to continue and expand my opportunities to serve others as a disciple of Christ. Thanks for your support in encouraging each of us to develop our personal stories as we experience God working through us to share the Good News.
Does it really make a difference if we share our stories? Absolutely! Recently I attended the annual fundraising luncheon at the St. Andrew Nativity School for minority low-income students in grades 6 through 8 in Northeast Portland. The Jesuit sponsored school is completely tuition free and depends entirely on donations. After a small group tour of the school led by 2 students, they served a luncheon where the masters of ceremony were 4 middle school students who each spoke for 1 or 2 minutes. The program ended with a brief talk by a Black graduate of the class of 2006 who went on to get scholarships at Jesuit HS, Boston College, and then on to the University of Oregon where he obtained a law degree. He is now employed as a lawyer at a large law firm in Portland and is Board Chair of the Nativity School. On the car ride home, I told my uncle Tom that I was very impressed by the school and wanted to make a monthly donation from my bank account. That led to my uncle and several other friends deciding to join me in making monthly contributions. So yes, our stories do matter.
Michael Chau
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