Profession of Perpetual Vows Brings Joy to Mount Carmel

In a solemn but joyful ceremony, Sister Tram Thi Thu Tran professed her perpetual vows as a sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Nha Tang Congregation of Vietnam at the Motherhouse Chapel of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Dubuque, Iowa.

The Tuesday morning Mass was filled with meaningful songs in both English and Vietnamese that Tram selected.

The celebration that followed included Vietnamese food and red, white, and blue balloons in the Caritas dining room at Mount Carmel.

After she professed her final vows, Tram beamed as the assembly applauded. Then IHM and BVM sisters gave her celebratory hugs.

Part of what made the profession so special was the family and friends who were there to share in the celebration. Tram’s mother, Thu Thi Nguyen, whom she had not seen in three and a half years, was able to come from Vietnam for her profession and stay a week. She was accompanied by her son-in-law, Than Ngoc Duong.

Sister Linh An, IHM, a member of her congregation’s leadership team, traveled to the United States to receive Tram’s vows, and IHM Sisters who are studying in the United States joined in the Mass.

Tram’s friends from Divine Word College delayed their Christmas vacation to be there. Other friends from Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin also showed their support with their presence.

“I’m so happy about that,” Tram says.

And she made her vows at Mount Carmel because she wanted to share the celebration with BVMs.

BVM Sisters have given me a lot of support, and I love them.”—Tram Thi Thu Tran, IHM

“BVM Sisters have given me a lot of support, and I love them. It is hard to express my emotions. I never thought my mother would have a chance to come here,” but the BVMs made it possible.

“I wish to take this opportunity to thank the BVMs for all they have done for me, for my congregation, and for my family,” Tram says. “The sisters treat me just like a member of their congregation. Whatever I need, they are willing to help me.”

 

Her major at Divine Word College in Epworth, Iowa, is international studies, with theology as her minor. She just finished her third semester of college.

She came to Mount Carmel in 2016 to become proficient in English and further her education at Divine Word.

“I would love to continue my education after I complete my bachelor’s degree,” Tram adds. “To really do the work of our young congregation in Vietnam, I have to have more skills and education.”

Dee Myers, BVM sees Tram and her companion sisters, Diem Ngo, Liem Nguyen, and Tuyen Nguyen, as “gifts to the BVMs.” They are also Divine Word students and all four live at Mount Carmel in an apartment with Dee and Betty Voss, BVM.

BVMs decided to host the IHM sisters as a way to continue the congregation’s education ministry.

“Being integrated with and respectful of another culture stretches us and is so educational,” Dee says. “We appreciate their way of life and we’re so happy to celebrate with them.”

During a Lunar New Year Celebration, Mount Carmel is also the stage for dragons, a dance performance, and caricatures of animal of the year—this year, the pig—made by the Vietnamese sisters.

“These opportunities to celebrate bring so much joy to all of us here at Mount Carmel,” Dee says.

A Vietnamese idiom states that “A good life depends on learning from wise elders.”

“I have learned a lot from the sisters here,” Tram says. “God knew this was the best place for me to learn and grow.”