I find it difficult to understand my priest

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goodcatholic

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Our new parish priest is Vietnamese and I don’t think he has been in my country long. His accent is difficult to catch, I have trouble understanding his point in the homily. He is smiling and very friendly but hard to understand. Some of my co-parishioners agree . One even said we should ask for another priest. I think that is very unkind to say such a thing. I feel lucky to have such a young friendly guy as priest. I just wish his English was better.
 
Perhaps you could try and have a seat closer to the front if you don’t already.We have had priests from various countries overseas and it does take a while to “tune in” .Keep persevering for as long as you can:) Your priest may possibly be trying to adapt his accent to the local accent also as he is still new.
God bless,and all the best.
 
Blessings,
You could speak to priest and ask him to distribute his sermon in paper form. I’m sure he’d be grateful to know this. A sermon is an important teaching for us. Mass is Holy.
In Christ’s love
Tweedlealice
 
We have the reverse problem at our new parish.
Its the fastest growing Catholic community in my country with lots of immigrant ESOL speakers.
So our English priest has his sermon printed on the projector in English.
People love it because they can learn to speak better English at the same time.
It flows as he speaks.
 
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Ah! In such cases, we simply have to pay more attention. For those if us who quickly forget the homily, it can be helpful to take a note pad and jot down the three points that are in most homilies.

Also, invite him to bless your home, to lunch or to dinner. The more you hear him, the more easily he will be understood.

Sit right up front (if you do not already).
 
I had to make an effort to understand Texan accent. I couldn’t follow the homily at the beginning.
The foreign priests were easier to understand for me,I do not why…
I know some Americans just commented then,not complained really, that they had missed a bit of the homily from foreign priests.
But then both ends adjust. Foreigners learn to speak clearer and Americans adjust to our " foreign" cadence,especially when the person you have to adjust your ear to is the same one,as is the priest in this case
So,I would say,be patient plus get closer as some posters said,and their other recommendations.
 
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If you are serious about solving this problem record the sermon. Use a recorder or smart phone close to the priest. Ask if you can out it on the lectern. Then listen to the recording. You will be able to quickly identify the issues that give you problems. In a Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese at least) there is a tendency to drop the final consonant of words. So tent becomes ten’ etc. You can learn to spot these differences. Listen to some youtube videos of people with your priests accent. And if like many of us your hearing is getting worse as you age: get a hearing aid!
 
We had a foreign priest for awhile at the hospital. I was able to understand his accent. Mama couldn’t. She refused to let him hear her Confession when we went to Mass there because she couldn’t understand him.

I would advise going to as many Masses as you can so you can train your ear to understand his accent. The priest Mama couldn’t understand got a lot better with time. Give yours a chance to adjust to his new locale. It does make a difference. Don’t request another priest. You don’t want to undermine this one’s confidence.
 
Be patient…try your best to hear…Happened to me many times even today because most priests come from different parts and learning local language can be very hard and they need time.
 
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lilypadrees said:
Don’t request another priest. You don’t want to undermine this one’s confidence.
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Plus…priests do not come in " Catalogues" for us to pick.
And…it must be hard to watch fellow parishioners flying out the window of the Bishop’s office …😬
How would it cross their minds one wonders?🤔
 
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Agreed. Sit closer. Develop your lipreading skills. Get used to his accent, it is a learning process for everyone. For Reconciliation, go face-to-face. His personal story may be an inspiration to you. Remember that he is a valued asset for the Vietnamese population in your area.
 
Jerusha said:
Remember that he is a valued asset for the Vietnamese population in your area.
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There are a lot of Vietnamese in our parish so maybe that is why he was sent to our parish. I don’t usually mix with them after Mass as they seem happy in their own ethnic group.
 
Just do the best you can and don’t fret it.

In my parish church, the amplifiers aren’t set up right, and although my hearing is fine I can’t make out much of what’s being said.

90% of all communication is non-verbal, you should be able to get the gist of it even if you don’t catch all the words.
 
goodcatholic said:
One even said we should ask for another priest
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My heart stopped when I read this. There are two Vietnamese priests at my parish. One has been here three years, the other one. They were difficult to understand in the beginning. Since I had an easier time with their accent, I used to have to explain the homily to my family after Mass.

However, they improved rapidly. Now, they’re easily understood - and thank goodness for them! They are among the kindest, wisest, and most selfless people I ever met. One is my spiritual director, helping me discern my vocation. The other I consider to be a friend. My parish is so very blessed to have them!

I used to teach English as a Second Language. My students who did well were the ones who practiced by engaging with native English speakers on a daily basis. So talk to him, invite him out, make sure he’s included in parish activities. And please, ask these others not to request another priest. He left his family, his friends, his culture, his language, and his homeland to serve you. Be patient, talk to him, and pray for him. Please encourage your fellow parishioners to have a little mercy. If you do, I promise you won’t regret it.
 
It takes anywhere from 3 months to several years to learn to speak “basic every day language”. The only way your priest is going to learn to speak your language better is by people, and that is including you, speak with him every day. He won’t learn the language by looking at a screen.

Some languages, like Thai, don’t have certain sounds like R so “Fried rice” sound “Flied lice” when they speak. This is also common when children learn how to speak and pronounce words. Children use all the different sounds when they begin to speak “Baby language” and those sounds they don’t hear they won’t continue making. They end up with the sounds that are in the language/s that people around them speak and then put them together and voilá they speak. I realised, I could read and pronounce Latin after going to 6 or 7 masses where the Creed, Sanctus and Agnus Dei were sometimes in Latin and the parish sang Salve Regina at the end. The more languages you know the easier it is to learn yet another one.
 
Sit near the front. Pay careful attention. Find opportunities to talk with him, it will help you understand him better and give him an opportunity to practice his English.
 
We, too, have a Vietnamese priest. It does take time, so be patient as he developes his English skills. I sit up front and really focus on his words. He’s pretty amazing.
 
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