Profession of Vows 2007 -- Sister Theresa Lan Nguyen

"Sister Theresa Lan Nguyen was born in Vietnam and came to the United States with her family in 1990. After six months in New York, the family moved to Philadelphia, where she lived for six years before moving to Oregon with her sister’s family. Sister Theresa Lan entered the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon in 2000 from St. Francis Parish in Sherwood. Her sister, Thanh Huong Nguyen, introduced her to Sister Julie Doan, who invited Sister Theresa Lan to attend a vocation retreat. Sister Theresa Lan was attracted to the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon because they were hospitable and welcoming during her visit. “I felt comfortable with them,” she said. “When I saw Sister Delores Adelman, then Superior General, doing dishes, and the other Sisters helping, I observed that everyone was on one level,” unlike in her home country of Vietnam.

Before entering the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon, Sister Theresa Lan attended Philadelphia Community College. There, she studied English and pharmaceutics while working at a veterans’ hospital. She also worked at Malvern Retreat House in Malvern, Pa. Currently, Sister Theresa Lan’s ministry is to care for the infants ages two months to one-year old in the Rosebud Room at Little Flower Development Center. “I like the babies, who are so loving, innocent and angelic,” she said. “It is a joy for me to love them and receive their love in return. This ministry enhances my trust in God, who loves us as His children.”

When not caring for the infants of Little Flower, Sister Theresa Lan enjoys cooking and sewing. Sister recalls a special highlight in her life being when she took her first vows. Her mother, who died when she was 15 years old, had wanted her to be a Sister. “When I made my first vows, I prayed and said to my mother, ‘I made it.’ It is a joy that God called me, and I am so proud that God called me to be a Sister of St. Mary of Oregon.”