Father Khoi

Father Khoi Catholic Priest // June 29 // Luke 1:38 - John 19:28 // Pray - Work - Love - Serve // ithirst.us - padre.in My Confirmation‘s saint is Saint John the Baptist.

I was born in the Southeast Asian country of Viet Nam. I go by “Father Khoi” because we call each other by our first name in Vietnamese. I was baptized and given Saint Francis Xavier as my baptismal patron saint. When I entered the Redemptorist novitiate, I took on the name of the Blessed Mother, Mary, as a part of my Christian name. When I was young, we had very little as the result of the Viet N

am War, especially under the strict and oppressive post-war Communist rule. By the (unimaginable) grace of God, our family was given the opportunity to immigrate to the United States. We settled in Kansas where most of my father’s side of the family resided at the time. I grew up and went to elementary, middle, and high schools in Wichita. After my high school graduation, I went down to Texas to begin my priestly formation. I joined a religious order and stayed with them for five years until, under the guidance and encouragement of my Novice Master, I discerned to transition from religious life to diocesan seminary formation. I was ordained to the priesthood on June 29, 2013. After years of diocesan ministry as a parish priest, I am now serving our military personnel and their families in the United States Air and Space Forces as an active-duty Chaplain. I love being a priest. Is it easy? The answer is no, but the journey is definitely filled with many blessings. I am in love with Christ. I embrace my vocation because He has called me to care, shepherd, and give my life to serve the Church. It is not easy and I pray for the grace of perseverance every day. I put my trust and hope that He, the One who has called me and who I love with all my heart, continues to keep me safe and faithful to the mission given at my ordination. I try to write as a way to pray with a reflection blog. I also podcast my homilies for former parishioners, family, and friends who are living far away. Both of them are named “I Thirst” (John 19:28) after Saint Mother Teresa of Kolkata‘s own motto for her life and the Missionaries of Charity sisters. And as you can tell by now, I have a great devotion to the “saint of the slums.” I love her simple and heartfelt charism, which is founded on the love of Christ in the Eucharist and service of the poorest of the poor. I try to share what I have preached and wrote not as a way to garner attention to myself but to make known the Good News that the Kingdom of God is at hand and we are called to change our lives in conformity to His will. I have always been taught and believe deep within my heart that the one who writes, preaches, or shares with others must be challenged and converted by what comes from prayers first. What I have shared with you, therefore, is what I have experienced in my own spiritual journey and prayer times. I am not a knowledgeable theologian or a skilled spiritual master. I am simply a priest who is in love with Christ Jesus. I am not perfect and still struggle in my journey of faith to seek, love, and give myself totally and completely to Him. Even in my weaknesses and limitations, I am trying my best each and every day to love Him. I know and believe that the Lord sees and knows the deepest desires of each and every one of our hearts so we can only be honest and genuine with Him. And, if we truly love Him, we have to humbly and genuinely share what He has done for us so others can come to know and love Him as well. I hope what I have imperfectly written in my reflections or preached in my homilies might help you in some small ways with your faith journey. English is not my first language so please excuse the grammatical mistakes; and if I stutter in my homilies, please forgive me because it is a struggle from of young. In your mercy and kindness, please pray for me as I am for you. I truly believe that prayer is the greatest gift that we can give to one another! I know I would not be where I am today without those who are praying for me. God bless you.

For the longest time ever, I did not know what a yoke is! Even though I grew up poor, I lived in the city of Saigon and ...
17/09/2025

For the longest time ever, I did not know what a yoke is! Even though I grew up poor, I lived in the city of Saigon and did not have much interaction with the farming life. However, my earliest conscious recollection and memory of a yoke was from a visit to one of my aunts and her family, who were living in the countryside. I finally saw how a yoke was used and its essential purpose. Hence, it helped me to better understand what the Lord Jesus Christ meant when He told us to take on His yoke....

For the longest time ever, I did not know what a yoke is! Even though I grew up poor, I lived in the city of Saigon and did not have much interaction with the farming life. However, my earliest con…

17/09/2025

17 September 2025

For all those who love liturgical dad jokes out there! 😅✌️😂
16/09/2025

For all those who love liturgical dad jokes out there! 😅✌️😂

16/09/2025

16 September 2025

15/09/2025

15 September 2025

13/09/2025

13 September 2025

Visited a cloistered convent and another old Roman town today before heading out… arrivederci, Italia… a rivederci!
12/09/2025

Visited a cloistered convent and another old Roman town today before heading out… arrivederci, Italia… a rivederci!

12/09/2025

12 September 2025

Lord, be with your people in this time when we need to listen and respond with your love… 🙏❤️🙏
11/09/2025

Lord, be with your people in this time when we need to listen and respond with your love… 🙏❤️🙏

11/09/2025

11 September 2025

A few years ago, when I first joined the Air Force, I was eager to pursue a doctorate in marriage and family counseling ...
10/09/2025

A few years ago, when I first joined the Air Force, I was eager to pursue a doctorate in marriage and family counseling to enhance my skills and better serve in a pluralistic environment. I know how to conduct pastoral counseling based on faith, having received training in spiritual direction and formation. However, not everyone in the military shares the common Christian understanding, perspective, and foundation. As a matter of fact, many people who come to see us do not have any real, substantial understanding of faith or morality, except for what is expected of them on a professional level by the military....

A few years ago, when I first joined the Air Force, I was eager to pursue a doctorate in marriage and family counseling to enhance my skills and better serve in a pluralistic environment. I know ho…

Even in a city that is threatened by its touristic success, one can still find corners of solitude and see a glimpse of ...
10/09/2025

Even in a city that is threatened by its touristic success, one can still find corners of solitude and see a glimpse of local life if one chooses to walk away from the typical tourist traps and IG famous spots.

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About Father Khoi

I was born in the Southeast Asian country of Viet Nam.

I go by “Father Khoi” because we call each other by our first name in Vietnamese.

I was baptized and given Saint Francis Xavier as my baptismal patron saint. My Confirmation’s saint is Saint John the Baptist. When I entered the Redemptorist novitiate, I took on the name of the Blessed Mother, Mary, as a part of my Christian name

We had very little as the result of the Viet Nam War, especially under the strict and oppressive post-war Communist rule. By the (unimaginable) grace of God, we were given the opportunity to immigrate to the United States. We settled in Kansas where most of my father’s side of the family resided at the time. I grew up and went to elementary, middle, and high schools in Wichita. After my high school graduation, I moved to Texas to begin my priestly formation.