CONGREGATION OF MARY QUEEN - AMERICAN REGION
Dòng Trinh Vương - Chi Dòng Hoa Kỳ
Sister
in the
Spotlight
"Anyone who seeks truth seeks God, whether or not he realizes it."
- St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, OCD (Edith Stein)
Sr. Marie Trang
First Profession of Vows – June 9, 2001
Final Profession of Vows – June 14, 2008
Number of siblings – 8 siblings: 5 sisters and 3 brothers (including 2 brothers in heaven)
Favorite Book of the Bible - Book of Genesis
Favorite Form of Prayer - Mass and Liturgy of the Hours
Favorite Bible Quote – Hebrews 4:12 "The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two edged sword, penetrating even between, soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart."
Favorite Sport - I like jogging, but I have not jogged for such a long time. I am doing the hula hoop now.
Favorite Hobby - Gardening (especially mowing the grass, singing and playing guitar, talking with friends
Religious inspiration - There are several religious inspirations in my life. However, my dad inspires me and motivates me the most. I gained a lot of inspiration listening to my Dad's life story, especially when he was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Vietnam Republican Army (before 1975) and as a political prisoner in Socialist Vietnam (after 1975). I was also inspired when I lived with my Dad after his release from prison, and being with Dad on his death bed (from lung cancer).
Favorite Food – Bún bò Huế
Favorite Color – Blue and Green
Favorite Movie – Jane Eyre (1983 TV series)
Favorite Book – Books with Pictures
Favorite Song/Music Genre – Christian music
Special talents - A stand-up Comedian and singing
Highlights of 2019-2020 - In December 2019, Sr. Vân (Janine) and I drove from Dallas to Kansas City, Missouri (usually a 9-hour trip) for one of our sister’s BSN graduation (Sr. Eileen Phượng). It took us about 11 hours to get back home Dallas for it was a terrible snowstorm that day…
What are you looking forward to this year - St. Gianna Molla once said, “The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for all that He, in His goodness, sends to us day after day.” Yes, I learn to enfold His goodness sent to me every day and give thanks.
Advice for Someone Discerning–
Many people wish for happiness. A lot of people search for a meaningful life. Many more people are confused in choosing their state of life - a vocation. Take it easy. Breathe in and out and count your breaths. A vocation is not a lifestyle we choose, rather it is a call from God who will choose for you. It is true that we may be frightened, confused or may withdraw with the very first step when the challenges come.
Jesus is the One who can lead our ways. If you yearn for a married life or a single life, I pray for you. If you crave for a lifestyle which is more significant, “Come and See”. Take a step on this faith journey...
Favorite Story as a Sister –
I once had a brilliant boy named E.B (his initials) in my kindergarten class. He was always diligent, loved to do homework and class duties. He once gave me a math problem and challenged me to solve it. He was fascinated with learning new things in class. Religion was E. B.’s favorite class and he was usually full of profound questions (e. g. How did God love us when He didn’t even create us yet? Why couldn’t Pontius Pilate protect Jesus? Etc.)
One day, the class was learning about the creation story. It took more than a week to finish the story along with doing the craft activity. When the story came to the end, there was a picture that had all of creation on it: Adam and Eve, different kinds of animals, plants, and trees, etc.
E. B. suddenly shouted during the lesson, “Sr. Marie, are they (Adam and Eve) naked?” Half of the class smiled and nodded their heads. E. B. looked at me with wide-opened eyes to get my explanation. He gasped. He seemed to be unable to accept the fact that Adam and Eve was ‘naked’ publicly.
So I began as best as I could, “Well, let’s see…(pause)… Adam and Eve may or may not be naked…(pause)… When we go to the jungle, we must wear clothes. If not, mosquitoes, chiggers, or other insects will feed on us. Also, clothes keep us from being cold. I never saw anyone naked going into the jungle. I believe Adam and Eve was wearing some kind of clothes…(pause)… They might be wearing shorts and sleeve-less shirts when they were in the jungle. The problem here is…(pause)…the artist’s fault. When he drew the picture, he drew a huge elephant in front of Adam and Eve. Some pictures have a bush or a tiger in front of them. This is why we could not prove what kind of clothes they were wearing. I would think they should wear some kind of clothes…They must. It is inappropriate for people not to wear any clothes in public."
E. B.’s face seemed to relax. He turned to a friend sitting next to him and whispered, “They were not naked. They had clothes on.”
Top Picture: Photo of creation... "Is Adam and Eve naked?"
Picture to the Right: Kindergarteners craft project for the story of creation
