Editor's note: This is the 11th in a periodic series spotlighting those in formation for priesthood for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

I was born in Macau, educated in Taiwan and worked there until I moved to the United States at the age of 32. My faith journey intensified as a result of my participation in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, where I also became involved in ministry to the Chinese community. In 1995 I began the program for ordination to the permanent diaconate in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and, at age 47, was ordained a deacon in 1999.

As a deacon in Los Angeles and an immigrant originally from Macau, where Cantonese is the major Chinese dialect spoken, to Taiwan, where Mandarin is the language spoken by the majority of the population, I felt called to serve the new immigrants speaking these two languages. To fulfill this plan, I left my position in the hospital which I held for the past 10 years and began the theology program at St. John's Seminary in the Fall of 2003.

My 84-year-old handicapped mother lives in Monterey Park; two married sisters live in Rowland Heights and Los Angeles. I enjoy soccer, basketball, ping-pong, playing chess and bridge. Although I enjoy a simple life as a missionary, priesthood in L.A. is my dream and my calling.

During the school year, I feel somewhat overwhelmed with the seminary life. I suddenly find myself moving into a higher academic level. Moving from a simple lifestyle to a suddenly busy life makes me exhausted. However, through the life adaptation, I have learned how to surrender totally to God.

Chinese traditional religion is an eclectic mix of Buddhism, Confucianism and a small amount of Christianity. As I envision my future ministry, I have sensed a strong call to become a priest and minister to immigrants. In Los Angeles County, it is estimated that less than 1 percent of 400,000 Chinese are Catholic. Currently, five Chinese priests (including 2 retired priests) are working hard to offer their pastoral service to this growing community as well as their other assignments.

From what I have observed, evangelization to the non-Catholic is a must, and these communities need a substantial catechetical education. These tasks demand more full-time priests and their commitment to reaching out to the unbaptized. Today, these tasks urge me to overcome my struggles, especially with English as my second language, in the priestly formation program. After all, if God calls me for priesthood, then He will provide me enough strength to follow Him.