November 12, 2023

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

At the Diocesan Eucharistic Congress, I had the pleasure of meeting Stephen Pham, one of our new seminarians. It turns out that he is from our parish so I asked Stephen to write a little about himself so that we can get to know him.

Stephen wrote: “I was born and baptized in Vietnam and immigrated to the United States with my parents and older brother at the age of three. Since then, we have called Orange County home away from home. Growing up, I lived in the cities of Anaheim and Santa Ana, and attended St. Columban Catholic parish in Garden Grove where I enjoyed participating in children’s faith formation and youth ministry. I obtained a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles and worked in sales and marketing in the pharmaceuticals industry before entering the seminary. During the pandemic, I moved to Dana Point and have been blessed to call St. Edward’s a spiritual home, filled with good friends such as those at weekday afternoon Mass, the parish staff and youth ministry volunteers. In my

free time, I enjoy practicing the violin and playing tennis. I am in my first year of seminary formation and hope to entrust myself to your prayers. Please know that I am praying for you and our community. “

Please keep Stephen in your prayers as well as the men and women from our parish that are discerning a call to the priesthood or consecrated/religious life.

Bishop Tim Freyer