The summer holiday period saw the SVD seminarians from Dorish Maru College in Melbourne swap the classroom for a range of practical and pastoral experiences - from parish placements to work experience in jobs as diverse as farm worker, handyman and restaurant hand.
Formator of Scholastics, Fr Linh Nguyen SVD, said the summer placements aimed to give the students pastoral and workforce experience, as well as deepen their cultural understanding and English language skills.
Three seminarians undertook parish placements. Christopher Boss experienced pastoral ministry in the Tiwi Islands, Mengjie Li at St Mark’s Parish Inala in Brisbane, and Jakub Doktor, who is in Australia as part of the SVD’s Overseas Training Program (OTP), has been in Central Australia.
Meanwhile, Khanh Nguyen worked on a farm and Krisna Papalese in a plant nursery; Khoa Duong, Luong Tran and Thuc Truong worked as handymen and Gusty Siga worked in a restaurant.
Jacob Yang took one month of home leave, while Peter Wang spent the time taking part in his Final Vows Preparation Program for his Perpetual Profession and Diaconate Ordination in March.
All of the seminarians said their summer experiences had a big impact on their human and missionary formation.
Thuc worked as a handyman for a company specialising in kitchen, bathroom, laundry and wardrobe renovations and said that having had prior experience in a similar work environment back home in Vietnam meant he was easily able to adapt.
He said his work experience helped him gain various skills that he believes will equip and prepare him for life as a missionary priest.
“Working closely together every day with the same group of people allowed me to foster empathy, understanding, compassion and trust in my co-workers. Most days, the work was physically demanding which tested my patience and made me have doubts in my ability to work, however as days went on, I was able to accept the tasks that were given to me and learned to build up my physical stamina and got the job done,” he said.
“As a missionary priest, I will have a lot of community engagement, physical demands and most importantly, working alongside many people of different cultural backgrounds. I understand there will be many unexpected situations, conflict, social issues in different populations. The key to navigate it all is to listen to the needs of the community, understand my duties, learn from others, communicate and encourage an environment of trust so that everyone can work harmoniously together.”
Khanh spent his holidays working on an apple farm in the Yarra Valley, with co-workers from a range of cultural backgrounds, including Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Cambodian.
He said his experience working on his family’s coffee farm back home in Vietnam helped equip him for the task and gave him confidence, even though there were challenges.
Khanh said the English language classes he has been undertaking since arriving in Australia also helped him to assist others.
“I was asked to help the manager in translating English to Vietnamese for Vietnamese workers who cannot speak English well. It was a special task and a good feeling to know that I have the experience to help others. It helps me to be much more encouraged in studying English to know that I can use it for not only studying in academic programs but also assisting people in their daily lives,” he said.
Some of the challenges of his work placement included waking up early, living outside of his religious community, dealing with changeable weather conditions, and maintaining his prayer life while meeting the demands of physical labour.
“I think my work program has benefited my vocation because I have understood more deeply about working environments. I have experienced how hard it is for workers to get money for their family. I have listened to workers’ stories which helped me to understand their situations. I have shared my opinions, stories, and especially my faith with others - Catholics, Lutherans, non-religious. I have been encouraged so much in my vocation after this program,” he said.
Khoa said his experience of working as handyman installing wooden floors in a residential building and a second job painting houses, contributed to many aspects of his formation as a missionary priest.
“The job installing wooden floors was completely new to me,” he said. “I learned a lot to ensure the quality of the work and making sure I adhered to safety regulations. As a painter, I had some previous experience, but I learnt a lot of tips from other professionals which ensured faster and better quality work.”
Khoa said one of the highlights was the opportunity to meet and work with people who had to work hard to earn a living.
“It was a great opportunity to understand and listen to their difficult lives,” he said. “In addition to improving my health after a long period of study, I also accumulated valuable experience in manual work that will help me in my future as a missionary. And finally, I built confidence and faith in the image of a missionary who is going to the periphery and is also willing to step out of his comfort zone with the belief that God is always with him.”
Krisna, who worked in a plant nursery in Melbourne, said the experience also gave him a renewed appreciation for how hard people have to work to make ends meet.
“This kind of work was very new for me,” he said. “This experience really helped me to understand how hard everyone is working in looking for money. This opportunity helped me to respect all that is being given to me from others and showed me that life is not easy, so be kind and nice to everyone.”
Gusty Siga said his summer working in a Vietnamese restaurant was challenging, but rewarding, especially given that he joined the SVD straight after high school and had not been in the workforce before.
“I didn’t have any work experience. This was totally new and starting from the scratch, so stepping into this role has been a big shift,” he said.
“I’ve had to pick up a lot of new skills, like handling money, dealing with customers, and making sure everything in the kitchen runs smoothly.”
And while he made some mistakes along the way, he was able to learn from them and move on.
Gusty said the best part of the job was meeting people and working with a team.
“This job has also made me reflect on what it means to serve others. Even though it’s just food and service, I feel like this connects to my journey as a missionary priest. It’s about putting others first, paying attention to their needs, and staying patient and kind, no matter how stressful things get. In a way, this experience is like a mini version of ministry. It’s about being present, helping where I can, and finding joy in the simple things—like making someone’s day just a little better. It’s teaching 
me humility, adaptability, and how to connect with people from all walks of life. The experience has helped me understand the value of hard work, the importance of gratitude, and the beauty of serving others.”
Christopher Boss spent his summer academic break in pastoral ministry on Bathurst Island in the Diocese of Darwin and said that his experience of parish life in the Tiwi Islands had a big impact on him.
“Parish life in the Tiwi Islands is vibrant, culturally rich, and deeply rooted in faith,” he said “The strong Catholic identity of the community, combined with their unique customs and traditions, makes this mission field both inspiring and challenging. The collaborative spirit among priests, sisters, and laypeople creates a sense of family and shared mission.”
Christopher said a highlight of the experience was the profound connection with the Tiwi community and the opportunity to immerse in their culture.
“The encounter with Sr Anne, Fr Niran, and Fr Hung, whose life of service reflects extraordinary faith and dedication, was particularly inspiring,” he said. “The active participation in church activities, such as leading prayers, organising Masses, and engaging with the youth, also stands out as deeply fulfilling. Witnessing the faith-filled lives of the Tiwi elders, especially during Mass at the Age Care Centre, was both moving and spiritually enriching.”
He said the experience has helped shape his missionary formation by instilling deeper humility, adaptability, and cultural sensitivity.
“This will greatly contribute to the development of a compassionate and effective missionary priest.”
Meanwhile, at St Mark’s Parish in Inala, Brisbane, Mengjie said he was impressed by the multicultural nature of the parish, including large groups of parishioners from the Vietnamese, Philippine and Samoan communities, and the witness of how the various groups united together to practise their faith.
“One highlight for me was the Christmas Novena, which we celebrated the Philippine way, called Simbang Gabi,” he said. “During this time, we had morning Mass at 5am. This is an early wake-up for a young man and was difficult, but the value is that people were willing to participate in the Mass, and after that we had morning tea, and people came to do services and talks. Through this program I was able to talk with people, sharing stories of faith.”
Mengjie said he also appreciated living in community with the SVD confreres and being a part of their regular prayer life.
“So, I really enjoyed the life as a missionary. Through the services in church, I could see how the Holy Spirit is among us, and how God takes care of us.”
And Slovakian OTP student, Jakub Doktor, who is in Australia for two years to gain missionary experience before resuming his seminary studies, has spent the last couple of months on a pastoral placement in Central Australia, following a year of learning English in 2024.
He spent two weeks in Santa Teresa, an indigenous community about 90km from Alice Springs, and the remainder of the time at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish in Alice Springs.
Jakub said there were many cultural adjustments to make, including the weather, with temperatures topping 44 degrees C, but he enjoyed helping the Santa Teresa community set up their Christmas decorations and dressing up as Santa Claus and distributing gifts for the children at the Christmas celebration.
“Santa Teresa is a beautiful place with a beautiful Aboriginal church. In the church are marvellous paintings that show the culture and spiritual understanding of the Aboriginal people,” he said.
“The opportunity to come to the Australian Province has really been a gift from God. Australian multicultural life and our SVD community have taught me and shared with me a lot of beautiful things, ideas, skills, experiences with food, habits and traditions.
“I am thankful for everything I am learning in this country and I am open for whatever comes next during the remaining time of my OTP.”
Before they resume their studies, the students will gather together at beachside St Leonards in Victoria to take part in the SVD’s Summer Acculturation Program, based on the theme of ‘Living and Working in the Multicultural Society of Australia’.
PHOTOS
TOP RIGHT: Thuc Truong worked as a handyman at a bathroom/kitchen/laundry renovation company.
TOP LEFT: Khanh Nguyen pictured picking apples on his summer work placement.
MIDDLE RIGHT: Khoa Duong laying floorboards during his work placement.
MIDDLE LEFT: Krisna Papalese gives the plants some water at his plant nursery placement.
LOWER MIDDLE RIGHT: Gusty Siga learnt all aspects of working in a restaurant.
LOWER MIDDLE LEFT: Christopher Boss (back row, second from right) is pictured with parishioners and Fr Hung Nguyen SVD on Bathurst Island during his pastoral placement.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Mengjie Li undertook his pastoral placement at St Mark's Parish, Inala.
BOTTOM LEFT: Jakub Doktor, OTP student, spent the summer in Central Australia and played an important role (centre) at the Santa Teresa Christmas celebration.