FR. PHÊRÔ TRẦN QUÂN

PRESIDENT, FATHER PHÊRÔ TRẦN QUÂN

Father Phêrô Trần Quân was born on 25 June 1987 in Trại Lê Parish, Can Lộc, Diocese of Hà Tĩnh (in Quang Lộc commune, Can Lộc, Hà Tĩnh), into a devout family of eight children; he is the fifth child.

From his early youth, driven by a love of learning and guided by his godfather, he left his parents to study far from home. It was during this time that the young Quân grew up on his own, nurturing the hope and the dream of a priestly vocation. He studied at Nguyễn Công Trứ High School (Nghi Xuân, Hà Tĩnh) from 2003 to 2006, where he studied tirelessly and diligently while keeping his dream alive.

In 2007 he passed the entrance examination to Duy Tân University in Đà Nẵng, and in 2011 he graduated with a bachelor's degree in English, majoring in Interpretation and Translation. During his studies in Đà Nẵng, he took an active part both as a university student and in the activities of the Vinh Catholic students in Đà Nẵng. In 2008–2009 he was Deputy Head of the Executive Board of the Cathedral Students in Đà Nẵng, and continuing along that path, from 2008 to 2011 he served as Head of the Executive Board of the Catholic Students of the Diocese of Vinh in Đà Nẵng, taking an active part, bringing students together and creating a "playground" for the students of that time. He also founded and led the Executive Board of the Đà Nẵng Catholic Student Tutoring Club, so that students might have the chance to support one another and build a good learning environment and a strong life of faith.

It was in those eventful student years, and out of that tirelessly ardent heart, that the Our Lady of La Vang Scholarship-2011 was officially born. Looking back to 2010, the central region of the country was struck by the flood of the century, bringing sorrow, loss and hardship to countless people. As a son of the central heartland who had grown up witnessing those hardships, he and a few fellow students founded the Scholarship Fund to support, encourage and accompany students — especially students from Vinh — so that they could overcome their difficulties and concentrate on their studies. With the permission and support of Bishop Giuse Châu Ngọc Tri, Bishop of the Diocese of Đà Nẵng, and Father Phêrô Hoàng Gia Thành, the spiritual director, the Chắp Cánh Ước Mơ Scholarship (today the Our Lady of La Vang Scholarship-2011) was officially established on 16 January 2011.

The vocation and the longing to become a priest had urged him on since he was a boy, and now, step by step and with God's grace, after graduating from university he passed the entrance examination and entered Vinh Thanh Seminary. He studied at Xã Đoài Minor Seminary in Nghệ An from 2011 to 2013. His superiors then sent him to the United States to study.

To prepare for his studies abroad, in 2013–2014 he took TOEFL iBT courses in Sài Gòn, where together with Father Pet. Nguyễn Công he founded an English club and accompanied the students of the Diocese of Vinh in Sài Gòn.

From 2014 to 2020 he went to the United States and continued his formation at Holy Apostles College and Seminary, Connecticut, America. On 16 June 2019 he received the ministry of the diaconate in the United States. He was ordained a priest on 15 February 2020 by Bishop Vincent Nguyễn Mạnh Hiếu, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Toronto, Canada.

He is currently pursuing a doctorate in Leadership and Education at Fordham University, New York. Alongside this, he is also studying Business Administration/Management at Harvard.