Deacons Lukasz Golab, Peter Van Khuơng Tran. Images by Giovanni Portelli Photography © 2026

Three men preparing to be ordained priests for the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney on 8 August at St Mary’s Cathedral have reflected on the faith, formation and moments of grace that led them to answer God’s call. 

For Deacons Lukasz Golab, Peter Van Khuơng Tran and Stephen Howard, the journey to the priesthood has been marked by years of discernment and pastoral formation, with each sharing how God gently guided them through personal challenges and a growing desire to serve the church.  

Growing up in Poland, Deacon Lucas said his love for the church developed from an early age. 

“It’s quite interesting because the desire to go to church came from me,” he said. 

“I was very close to the church, not only on Sunday, but also on weekdays.” 

As he grew older, friendships with priests and seminarians in the Diocese of Warsaw-Praga became an important source of encouragement. 

“They’ve been a great inspiration for me. I think all of that culminated and brought me here, where I am now,” he said. 

Deacon Peter also credits his childhood for nurturing his vocation. Raised in a deeply Catholic family, attending Mass was a daily part of life, often beginning before dawn. 

While he never doubted God’s call, he admitted questioning his own worthiness. 

“I have never doubted God but I doubt myself. Am I suitable for this, am I ready to take up this lifestyle because I’m not worthy,” he said. 

“And there are times I told Jesus, as St Peter did, ‘I am a sinful man, don’t come close to me.’ 

“That’s why there are times I doubt, but it’s about myself rather than doubt in God’s call for me,” he said.  

For Deacon Stephen, his vocation began to take shape a year after returning to the sacraments while studying at the University of New South Wales.  

“I became involved with an Alpha program on campus, and from there was invited to a FOCUS conference in Chicago,” he said. 

Deacon Stephen Howard. Images by Giovanni Portelli Photography © 2026

“The powerful moments in Eucharistic adoration and Mass with 9000 other young Catholics, and the stirring witness from speakers like the actor Jim Caviezel, helped me to take my faith more seriously.” 

He went on to read St Augustine’s Confessions and serve the poor with the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata while deepening his discernment.  

Upon returning to Australia, he applied to the seminary and began his formation that has taken him from Sydney’s Seminary of the Good Shepherd to the Pontifical North American College in Rome.  

“My formation been full of incredible privileges to be at the heart of the church, so close to the bones of St Peter and the first Christians,” he said.  

Although living overseas has been one of the greatest challenges of formation, he said it has also deepened his appreciation for Australia and strengthened his desire to serve the local church.  

As their ordinations draw near, each deacon has been preparing in different ways. 

Since October, Deacon Lucas has been serving at St Michael’s Parish, Meadowbank, where pastoral ministry has become an important part of his transition from seminary life to ordained ministry. 

For Deacon Peter, the final weeks include a retreat, sustained prayer and practical preparation to celebrate the sacraments for the first time. 

“It is time for me to learn how to celebrate Mass and hear confessions so I can better minister those sacraments,” he said. 

Deacon Stephen recently completed a silent retreat in a Benedictine monastery in southern England and said he is looking forward to bringing people back to Christ through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

“I am greatly looking forward to being an instrument of God’s love and mercy,” he said.  

“I am so convinced of his desire to tell all people of his tender heart. To let them know it will be okay, that he loves them, and there is nothing that can stand in the way of his love.”