Father Philip: A Vietnamese Catholic
Priest talks about
What it means to be Vietnamese
in Wisconsin
Priest talks about
What it means to be Vietnamese
in Wisconsin
| Debby Tewes is Asian Wisconzine's Contributing Writer in the Milwaukee area |
I first wanted to explore Father Philip’s memories and experiences in Vietnam because I felt that his experience
being a Catholic seminarian escaping Vietnam would be unique and somewhat different from the others I have
heard. For those who know the history of Vietnam in the 20th Century, it is one of nearly constant battles and
individuals trying to escape war torn areas. Father Philip is no exception to that. His family, along with many
Vietnamese Catholics, left northern Vietnam in 1954 to escape to southern Vietnam. In the south, he was sent to a
religious school to further his education, and it would be there where he was called by God to become a Catholic
priest. In April of 1975, Father Phillip traveled to the coastal town of Phước Tỉnh, in the hopes of escaping war-torn
Vietnam. He says the journey from escaping, being picked up by an American ship, and finally arriving in a refugee
camp in Arkansas took three months.
While talking to Father Philip, I could not help remembering the similar experience of my own parents when they
were trying to escape their war-torn home. I can not possibly fathom the emotional battles so many Vietnamese
had to endure to end up in a country that they did not fully know and a people whose language they couldn’t
understand.
What struck Father Philip was that the United States did not look like the images he was accustomed to. The
America he saw then was a refugee camp in a barracks, with hundreds of other emotionally drained Vietnamese.
Images and videos of the arrival of the ‘boat people’ can only go so far, but to hear it from someone who
experienced it and to hear the emotion associated with that experience, is something that will always earn my ear
and respect.
Because the group he belonged to was of seminarians, they were sponsored to travel to Missouri to live and
continue learning about become a priest. In 1979, he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has been preaching in
Wisconsin ever since.
Ethnic Identity
As a first generation Vietnamese American I see myself first as an Asian American and then ethnically
Vietnamese, so I was curious to what Father Philip’s views were on Asian ethnic identity of both himself, his
generation, and my own. Father Philip sees himself as Vietnamese before Asian American, something he
believes many of his generation or older who had to leave Vietnam would agree with. Ethnic ties and ingrained
nationality can be deeply rooted so it is not surprising that he would feel this way, for I have no doubt that my own
parents would feel the same way about their own Asian pan-ethnic identity.
Father Philip also emphasized a need for connection to some aspect of Vietnamese culture and identity for the
youth. What can be so difficult for Vietnamese growing up in Wisconsin is the lack of a large community, except for
a few cities, in that growing up with other Vietnamese children in one’s area can be rare. Most Vietnamese youth
would say they might have been friends with or known other Vietnamese their age, but were mostly surrounded by
a White community. A connection to a Vietnamese heritage is something Father Philip and I share in common. It
is a belief that though integration into American society is a good thing, one should not and can not forget their
ethnic roots because they are old and filled with its own rich history. He mentioned that knowing Vietnamese
could connect generations, similar to how many in the Hispanic community continue to teach Spanish to bridge
the generational gap.
Losing steam?
My final curiosity had to deal with the Vietnamese community in Wisconsin and how Father Philip interacts with
them now. When I was younger I remember traveling to Appleton, Wisconsin, where Father Philip used to preach,
to attend a mass and community gathering composed of mostly Vietnamese. These gatherings have not occurred
for some time now and Father Philip attributes that to the older generation slowly dying as well as smaller
communities of Vietnamese as opposed to much larger ones that once existed. The older generations of
Vietnamese, the grandmothers and grandfathers, the ones who remember Vietnam well before the war, are dying
in the United States, and what dies with them is a sense of the old community. Father Philip referenced games of
bingo, eating a Vietnamese dinner, and socializing with one another as so important to the elders in the
community, but in reality it was truly about just being in a place where everyone looked and acted somewhat like
yourself. With the older generations dying, it begs the question: What is the Vietnamese community in Wisconsin
now, is it just a few families gathering together once in a while to eat or is it something larger? For the
Vietnamese youth, what will our community look like or will there even be a recognizable Vietnamese community
in Wisconsin in the near future?
Generation gap and being born in America
The interview with Father Philip allowed me to gain insight into the views and ideas of what it means to be
Vietnamese in Wisconsin from someone outside my own generation. I would imagine that his views on being
Vietnamese then being Asian American is similar, if not completely the same, as those in my own family who are
around his age. Perhaps it is the difference in generations, or perhaps the fact that he immigrated here to where I
was born that would lead to differences in beliefs.
Father Philip is seen as an honorable figure for Vietnamese in northeast Wisconsin because he brings a sense
of connection back to Vietnam. For instance, he attends and most of the time is the man who leads prayers at
Vietnamese funerals. I always had a sense that one could die in the United States, but because of Father Philip
and one’s own family, that person could pass on like they were still in Vietnam. He is an important and very
knowledgeable man and it was my honor to talk to him.
being a Catholic seminarian escaping Vietnam would be unique and somewhat different from the others I have
heard. For those who know the history of Vietnam in the 20th Century, it is one of nearly constant battles and
individuals trying to escape war torn areas. Father Philip is no exception to that. His family, along with many
Vietnamese Catholics, left northern Vietnam in 1954 to escape to southern Vietnam. In the south, he was sent to a
religious school to further his education, and it would be there where he was called by God to become a Catholic
priest. In April of 1975, Father Phillip traveled to the coastal town of Phước Tỉnh, in the hopes of escaping war-torn
Vietnam. He says the journey from escaping, being picked up by an American ship, and finally arriving in a refugee
camp in Arkansas took three months.
While talking to Father Philip, I could not help remembering the similar experience of my own parents when they
were trying to escape their war-torn home. I can not possibly fathom the emotional battles so many Vietnamese
had to endure to end up in a country that they did not fully know and a people whose language they couldn’t
understand.
What struck Father Philip was that the United States did not look like the images he was accustomed to. The
America he saw then was a refugee camp in a barracks, with hundreds of other emotionally drained Vietnamese.
Images and videos of the arrival of the ‘boat people’ can only go so far, but to hear it from someone who
experienced it and to hear the emotion associated with that experience, is something that will always earn my ear
and respect.
Because the group he belonged to was of seminarians, they were sponsored to travel to Missouri to live and
continue learning about become a priest. In 1979, he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has been preaching in
Wisconsin ever since.
Ethnic Identity
As a first generation Vietnamese American I see myself first as an Asian American and then ethnically
Vietnamese, so I was curious to what Father Philip’s views were on Asian ethnic identity of both himself, his
generation, and my own. Father Philip sees himself as Vietnamese before Asian American, something he
believes many of his generation or older who had to leave Vietnam would agree with. Ethnic ties and ingrained
nationality can be deeply rooted so it is not surprising that he would feel this way, for I have no doubt that my own
parents would feel the same way about their own Asian pan-ethnic identity.
Father Philip also emphasized a need for connection to some aspect of Vietnamese culture and identity for the
youth. What can be so difficult for Vietnamese growing up in Wisconsin is the lack of a large community, except for
a few cities, in that growing up with other Vietnamese children in one’s area can be rare. Most Vietnamese youth
would say they might have been friends with or known other Vietnamese their age, but were mostly surrounded by
a White community. A connection to a Vietnamese heritage is something Father Philip and I share in common. It
is a belief that though integration into American society is a good thing, one should not and can not forget their
ethnic roots because they are old and filled with its own rich history. He mentioned that knowing Vietnamese
could connect generations, similar to how many in the Hispanic community continue to teach Spanish to bridge
the generational gap.
Losing steam?
My final curiosity had to deal with the Vietnamese community in Wisconsin and how Father Philip interacts with
them now. When I was younger I remember traveling to Appleton, Wisconsin, where Father Philip used to preach,
to attend a mass and community gathering composed of mostly Vietnamese. These gatherings have not occurred
for some time now and Father Philip attributes that to the older generation slowly dying as well as smaller
communities of Vietnamese as opposed to much larger ones that once existed. The older generations of
Vietnamese, the grandmothers and grandfathers, the ones who remember Vietnam well before the war, are dying
in the United States, and what dies with them is a sense of the old community. Father Philip referenced games of
bingo, eating a Vietnamese dinner, and socializing with one another as so important to the elders in the
community, but in reality it was truly about just being in a place where everyone looked and acted somewhat like
yourself. With the older generations dying, it begs the question: What is the Vietnamese community in Wisconsin
now, is it just a few families gathering together once in a while to eat or is it something larger? For the
Vietnamese youth, what will our community look like or will there even be a recognizable Vietnamese community
in Wisconsin in the near future?
Generation gap and being born in America
The interview with Father Philip allowed me to gain insight into the views and ideas of what it means to be
Vietnamese in Wisconsin from someone outside my own generation. I would imagine that his views on being
Vietnamese then being Asian American is similar, if not completely the same, as those in my own family who are
around his age. Perhaps it is the difference in generations, or perhaps the fact that he immigrated here to where I
was born that would lead to differences in beliefs.
Father Philip is seen as an honorable figure for Vietnamese in northeast Wisconsin because he brings a sense
of connection back to Vietnam. For instance, he attends and most of the time is the man who leads prayers at
Vietnamese funerals. I always had a sense that one could die in the United States, but because of Father Philip
and one’s own family, that person could pass on like they were still in Vietnam. He is an important and very
knowledgeable man and it was my honor to talk to him.
Father Philip is a Vietnamese priest living in
Greenbay, Wisconsin.
Greenbay, Wisconsin.
By Phong Nguyen
A defining moment for the lives of many Vietnamese who live in
the United States, would be the fall of Saigon on April 30th, 1975.
Though I have heard many stories regarding that chaotic time in
Vietnam, each one is unique, emotionally charged, and filled with
a sense of loss.
I knew that I wanted to interview a Vietnamese living in Wisconsin,
and I knew that Father Philip, a Catholic priest currently living in
Green Bay, Wisconsin, would give me great insight into his
experience in Vietnam, coming to the United States, and living in
Wisconsin. His views on the Asian American identity and life as a
Vietnamese American living in Wisconsin were explored in our
discussion.
A defining moment for the lives of many Vietnamese who live in
the United States, would be the fall of Saigon on April 30th, 1975.
Though I have heard many stories regarding that chaotic time in
Vietnam, each one is unique, emotionally charged, and filled with
a sense of loss.
I knew that I wanted to interview a Vietnamese living in Wisconsin,
and I knew that Father Philip, a Catholic priest currently living in
Green Bay, Wisconsin, would give me great insight into his
experience in Vietnam, coming to the United States, and living in
Wisconsin. His views on the Asian American identity and life as a
Vietnamese American living in Wisconsin were explored in our
discussion.