Our Priests
My name is Fr John Bosco Sang Bok Son, SVD – but please don’t worry, you don’t have to remember all of that! You can simply call me Fr Bosco. It is much easier to say and I promise to answer to it with a smile. Thank you for the warm welcome you have extended to me. From the very beginning, I have already experienced the kindness and hospitality that make St Mark’s such a special parish. I feel truly blessed to join this wonderful community and begin this new chapter of faith and service with you.
St Mark’s is a beautifully multicultural parish and, in many ways, I see my own journey reflected in that richness. I was born in Korea, spent some of my early years in Ghana, was ordained in Melbourne and have been privileged to minister among our First Nations sisters and brothers in Santa Teresa, Central Australia, as well as at Mary, Mother of the Church Parish in Macquarie Fields, New South Wales. These experiences have taught me that, despite our different cultures and backgrounds, we are united as one family in Christ.
God has blessed each of us with unique gifts and talents, not for ourselves alone, but to help build His Kingdom here on earth. As our patron, St Mark, reminds us, every Christian is called to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, the source of our salvation. St Mark fulfilled this mission through his Gospel, sharing the story of Christ with the world. Today, we too are invited to use the gifts God has entrusted to us in service of Him and His Church.
There are many ways we can share our time, talents and faith within our parish community. I encourage each of you to continue using your gifts generously so that, together, we may build a welcoming, vibrant and faith-filled parish where everyone feels at home.
I look forward to getting to know you in the days, weeks, months and years ahead. Whether after Mass, over a cup of tea or coffee, or at one of our parish gatherings, please feel welcome to introduce yourself and say hello. May we grow together in faith, hope and love as we journey with Christ and one another.
May God bless you and your families.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr John Bosco Sang Bok Son, SVD
The middle child of his family, Long has five siblings. His father passed away approximately 10 years ago and his mother is a retired grocer, now living with Long’s brother’s family.
In his early years, Long never thought of becoming a missionary but rather a business man. His elder sister’s experience as a nun of the congregation of the Lover of Holy Cross in Saigon had a great influence on him and, during his final year of university, Long became aware of the challenging call from God to be a missionary.
Long joined the Society of Divine Word (SVD) in the Vietnam Province in 2006 and commenced the Seminary training. He took his first vows in July 2010 and then began his philosophical studies in Saigon, which lasted for two years. After that, he attended the Overseas Training Program of the SVD society in the Australian Province, learning elementary English in Melbourne. He was then sent to Thailand before returning to Vietnam in 2014 to complete his Theology degree.
Long took his final vows in June 2017 and was ordained on December 27th 2018 and sent to Australia again – this time as an ordained missionary priest of the Divine Word.
Fr Joseph has a Bachelor Degree in Science and a Masters in Theology. He was ordained as a Divine Word Missionary Priest on the 23rd March, 1996 in Chicago after completing studies at the Catholic Theology Union in Chicago. Fr Joseph’s desire to become a priest began when he was a young man singing in the choir for the funeral of a widow who had no relatives. He saw the priesthood as a way to be with the people who are lonely and on the margins in society.
Fr Joseph’s first appointment as a Missionary Priest was to Australia. He has worked in Sydney, New Zealand and Melbourne before being appointed to the Inala parish in 2014. The Vietnamese Catholic community in Inala numbers around 3000.
Within the Inala parish there are many Vietnamese prayer and spirituality groups and the role of Chaplain is a very busy one. Fr Joseph believes that the opportunity to share in people’s lives through baptisms, weddings and funerals is the joy of his priestly vocation, and finds pastoral care very fulfilling. He is available in the parish for appointments on Mondays and Thursdays, and on Tuesdays and Fridays works from the Vietnamese Catholic Community Centre at 42 Lilac Street, Inala.
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