Four Californians Set to Enter Conventual Franciscan Postulancy Program in San Francisco Bay Area

(from left to right) David Michael Kearns, Ryan Fetbrandt, Thomas Gia Hoang, and Thuan Tiunt Vu

Friar Tom Czeck’s ministry is that of vocation director for St. Joseph of Cupertino Province. This Franciscan jurisdiction encompasses the western United States. Friar Tom has an office in Los Angeles but travels extensively through the region meeting with men who feel called to the Order of Friars Minor Conventual.

Within the last year, four men opened their hearts and eyes to God through prayer and conversations with Friar Tom. They found the

need to further explore what it means to be a Franciscan.  Friar Tom consulted with the minister provincial of St. Joseph of Cupertino Province – Friar Christopher Deitz – about the four men. This consultation resulted in the discerners’ - whose names are Ryan Fetbrandt, Thomas Hoang, Thuan Vu, and David Kearns - acceptance into the province’s Postulancy Program. The program begins in August of this year.

As postulants, Ryan, Thomas, Thuan, and David will live at the Franciscan friary in Castro Valley, California (San Francisco Bay Area) with Conventual Friars who already call it home. They will pray, attend Mass, participate in ministries, and eat with the friars. Their time during the the program – which usually lasts about one year – they will also spend on learning about the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, St. Francis of Assisi, and Franciscan history in general.

After about a year – although in some cases this can be longer - the men will come to a realization about whether God is truly calling them to be Franciscan Friars.

Ryan, Thomas, Thuan and David all live in California and are respectively 28, 29, 39, and 25 years old.  Ryan holds a Bachelor degree in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles. He resides in San Jacinto, California not far from his family and is taking classes in philosophy at Mount San Jacinto College.  Thomas lives in Anaheim with his parents. He immigrated to the United States from Vietnam 11 years ago and recently completed a Bachelor degree in business at Cal State, Fullerton. Thuan like Thomas is also a native of Vietnam where he worked as an engineer for the Nissey Corporation. He has been living in the United States with his mother for about 4 years and is taking classes at Santa Anna College. David at 25 years of age is the youngest of the four postulants. The last 8 years he has spent as a union trustee at the Disney Corporation. He calls Santa Fe Springs home, but has attended Masses at the Franciscans’ Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Hermosa Beach.

(Source of all related images and captions on homepage and webpage: St. Joseph of Cupertino Province, California.)