Living for a Higher Purpose

This book is partly a history book and also a personal diary. As these two parts weave together, one will see the divine presence and the secrets of life that have helped Viet survive throughout his life. He had to rely on the protection of his ancestors and the help of the Guardian Angels - the kind and generous people - that God would send him along the way. Most importantly, he has had to look up to his loving God and a higher purpose to stay alive and move forward each day. Hence, his Memoir has taken the title 'Living for a Higher Purpose.' The book will guide its readers through many stories of Viet’s life and eventually help them figure out what that higher purpose is. It also discusses many popular, current issues such as war and its victims, refugees and their life challenges, life under a Communist regime, core curriculum, how the world views America, the relationship between Catholicism (Christianity) and Buddhism, and much more.Viet will help his readers come to the same conclusion with him about the following secret of a fulfilling and joyful life. That is, a person should use his or her life to serve Jesus and other people. By sticking to that way of living, a person will find meaning and unending joy even in the dark night of his or her soul. This person will always trust in God’s love on the Cross of Jesus to guide, protect, strengthen, and encourage him or her throughout his or her life.About the AuthorMy name is Rev. Peter G. Vu, and I have been a Catholic priest of the Diocese of Grand Rapids, Michigan, for twenty years. I was born in Saigon City (currently Ho Chi Minh City), Viet Nam. I was a young boy when the Viet Nam War ended. I witnessed the war and the end of it with great horror and deep appreciation for peace. I had to grow up with the Communist government system and endured lots of hardship with them for over a decade. What helped me and many of my countrymen tremendously during those dark days was our faith and prayers. Hence, my love for prayers and meditations was able to blossom. After high school, I snuck out of Viet Nam by boat and came to the United States of America to begin my seminary training. I attended one year of high school here in the US (Union High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan) to learn the language and new culture. I attended Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for two years while staying at Christopher House Seminary. Then, the seminary sent me out of the state to attend my last two years of college at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. I graduated with double major in mathematics and philosophy. I then attended my graduate school at the University of St. Mary of the Lake and Mundelein Seminary in Chicago, Illinois, for five years. I graduated and was ordained with a Master Degree of Divinity (MDiv) and a Sacred Theology Baccalaureate (STB). I was a studend of the Most Reverend Bishop Robert Barron, who is a prolific writer and international speaker. I took all of his classes in the seminary and got all As.I have been ministering to people of God at six different churches over the last twenty years. I was also trained in clinical pastoral care in the hospital and nursing home setting and practiced it at a general hospital in Oxnard, California. I have been a chaplain at Grand Rapids Home for Veterans for almost ten years. I love and enjoy my pastoral care work. Taking care of the sick, the dying, the broken, the lost, and our veterans is a duty I cherish and look forward to each day. Listening to people with problems and giving them good guidance is another task I take seriously as a spiritual advisor and counselor.  3