We warmly welcome Juntagn (Anthony) Duan, Seminarian with the Society of the Divine Word, to our parish from December 15th to January 3rd! His short bio is below and we look forward to hosting him as he continues his formation to become a priest.
"I have two older sisters and an older brother, and my parents work as farmers. I grew up in a village deeply rooted in Catholic faith. From childhood, my family and I studied Scripture together, and I attended Mass every day. There was an SVD community in my hometown, and I found myself drawn to their way of life.
"I also spent time working in a nursing home, assisting the nuns in caring for the elderly and the infirm. Their spirit of service—offered so freely and without hesitation—deeply moved me. Their example inspired me, and I began to feel that I, too, wanted to dedicate my life to serving others. This desire eventually led me to enter into the religious-missionary formation with the Divine Word Missionaries.
"From 2018 to 2021, during my postulancy and pre-novitiate years in the SVD formation house, I studied philosophy at Hebei Catholic Seminary. After completing my studies, I began my novitiate year, which culminated with my first profession of vows as an SVD on June 6, 2022. Later that same year, following the recommendation of my SVD superior & his council, I moved to the United States to study English at Divine Word College and to continue my academic formation at the same Missionary College-Seminary.
"Throughout these years of formation and discernment, my prayer and hope have remained constant: to become a Religious Missionary Priest of the Society of the Divine Word, to live and minister in community with my confreres, and to serve the Church by helping people come to know Jesus."