Seminarians Kurt Meyer, left, and Hai “Francis” Pham lie prostrate before the altar as the people sing the Litany of Supplication. (Photo courtesy of Dann Ebina)
By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
“There is so much love in this church today,” Bishop Larry Silva told those assembled to witness the ordinations to the transitional diaconate of Kurt Meyer and Hai “Francis” Pham May 20 in the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa, that he wanted to channel it through his hands as he lay them on the heads of the two men in the act of ordination.
“I ask all of you,” he said in his homily, “to place that love in my hands, to fill my hands … so when I place those hands on our brothers to be ordained deacons, they may be filled with so much love … to let the light of Christ shine in the darkness of the world.”
The bishop said he wanted to “place that love on them, the love of Christ himself, so that they may become the very sacrament of Christ, the humble savior, who came not to be served but to serve.”
“It is the call of every member of the church to serve others in love,” said Bishop Silva. “But the Lord knows we often need sacramental reminders, and so he has instituted the order of deacon.”
Bishop Larry Silva lays his hands on Pham, ordaining him a deacon. (Photo courtesy of Dann Ebina)
The bishop ordained the two seminarians who are studying for the diocesan priesthood at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California — one part-Hawaiian from Oahu, the other a native of Vietnam — in a church packed with family, friends and classmates. Some of Pham’s relatives came all the way from Vietnam for the celebration.
The Mass had bi-lingual touches. The first Scripture reading was in Vietnamese as was the chorus of the offertory hymn.
The Rite of Ordination took place after the reading of the Gospel, beginning with the formal introduction of the two candidates to the bishop and the assembly by the diocesan Director of Vocations, Father Joseph Diaz.
Bishop Silva responded by saying, “Relying on the help of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, we choose our brothers for the order of deacon.”
The people expressed their consent with an energetic “Thanks be to God” and round of applause.
New deacons Meyer and Pham assist Bishop Silva at the altar. (Photos courtesy of Dann Ebina)
Bishop Silva then delivered his homily and questioned the candidates with a list of pledges, including one promising obedience to the bishop and his successors.
Meyer and Pham then lay prostrate before the altar as everyone sang the lengthy Litany of Supplication, also known as the Litany of the Saints.
The sacred act of ordination followed, the bishop laying his hands silently for several seconds on the heads of the two men.
The new deacons were then vested with their deacon stoles and dalmatics, the outer diaconal garment shaped like a “T,” and received leis.
After the newly ordained were given a fraternal “kiss of peace,” an embrace from each of the two dozen deacons gathered in the sanctuary, they themselves exchanged a hug to the applause of the congregation.
For the rest of the Mass, the newly ordained assisted at the altar in their new liturgical roles as deacons.
Father Arrion Rosales-Llantos, who the evening before was ordained a priest in the same church, recited the second half of the Eucharistic Prayer, standing beside the bishop.
Deacon Meyer, 51, is the son of the late Frederick and Rebecca Meyer. He grew up in Honolulu’s Aliamanu district the second youngest of three boys and two girls of Hawaiian, German, Chinese and Japanese ethnicity. The Meyer family was very active at St. Philomena Parish in Salt Lake.
A Radford High School grad, he attended the University of Hawaii-Manoa where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA. He worked in the field for 20 years.
His ministry with teen parishioners at St. Philomena led him to consider the priesthood.
He entered St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California, in 2017 where he has been active in student government, eventually serving as student body president.
He has one more year of study toward his master’s of divinity degree after which he will be ordained a priest.
As a new deacon he has a busy summer ahead. He baptized the infant of a friend the afternoon of his ordination, will assist at the five-day Christian Leadership Institute for high schoolers at St. Stephen Diocesan Center in Kaneohe, and help at Annunciation Parish in Waimea on the Big Island.
Deacons Meyer, left, and Pham exchange the fraternal kiss of peace with permanent deacons. (Photo courtesy of Dann Ebina)
Deacon Hai (Francis) Pham, 31, grew up in Vinh City in central Vietnam in a multi-generational home with seven siblings, their parents Joseph Hoang Pham and Therese Khuong Nguyen, aunts and uncles, and all four grandparents. He is the second oldest child.
Pham’s family are primarily farmers, with a religious side. Two aunts are religious sisters and an uncle is a priest. One of Pham’s younger brothers is a seminarian for the Diocese of Vinh City.
In college his goal was to be a doctor or a pharmacist. Instead, upon graduating he became a hospital manager, often engaging in social work and outreach, which led him to pursue religious life.
Pham joined the Carmelites around 2011 and stayed for about five years.
He later was introduced to Bishop Larry Silva by a mutual priest friend and was accepted as a seminarian for the Diocese of Honolulu. He began his studies at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park in 2019.
This summer, Pham will be assigned as a deacon to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Ewa Beach. Like Kurt Meyer, he will also return to St. Patrick’s for his final year of studies for his master’s degree in theology. He will then be ordained a priest for the Diocese of Honolulu.
