FR. CHEYOON CHUN remembers fondly a particular Sunday dating back to when he was in middle school. When at Mass, he saw the priest prepare for Holy Communion.
“When he was lifting up the Eucharist, I really thought to myself, ‘That’s something I think I could do,’” Fr. Cheeyoon shared with Orange County Catholic. “I told my parents, and my parents were quite surprised that I would say something like that. They were somewhat aware that maybe their son could become a priest, but they never pushed it.”
FR. CHEEYOON CHUN CELEBRATES THE MASS OF ORDINATION WITH HIS FAMILY IN 2020. PHOTO COURTESY OF FR. CHEEYOON CHUN
Fr. Cheeyoon didn’t think much of it either. As he continued attending church, he began exploring the world of architecture through a drafting class in high school. An undergraduate degree in fine arts with an emphasis in sculpture followed, before a career as a designer was born.
“I was serving at church quite a lot with retreats, youth group and Bible study,” he recalled. “At the same time, I was a full-time designer at an architecture firm, and it felt like I was serving two masters. I realized this is not sustainable. I can’t serve the Church in the capacity that I want to full time.”
In what Fr. Cheeyoon described as a “drastic move,” he quit his job, broke up with his girlfriend and sublet his apartment to move back into his parents’ house and focus on a brand-new chapter.
“I made an appointment with my pastor, and I asked a bunch of random questions about work and about spirituality, and I said, ‘Father, I’ve been thinking about the priesthood. What do you think about me joining the seminary?’” he recalled. “His response was, ‘Well, it’s about time.’ Obviously, he knew something that I didn’t, and that was a really nice affirmation that maybe there’s something here.”
Fr. Cheeyoon said he did a “complete 180” and transitioned from “one world to the next.”
After going through seminary, being ordained and serving as parochial vicar at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange, that former curious middle school student has found himself in a new role serving as director of Priestly Vocations in the Diocese of Orange.
“God still calls me to be a builder,” Fr. Cheeyoon explained. “Perhaps not a builder in the sense of physical space, but the interior space to help each soul build a space or a temple in their heart for God to dwell. I’m doing my best as a priest in the Diocese of Orange to guide other people, to build that special place in people’s hearts for God.”
He’s also trying to do that specifically with the seminarians who are on their own personal journeys to the priesthood. After recognizing a need to foster and cultivate good and holy priests, Fr. Cheeyoon is trying his best to inspire other men to follow God’s will.
“My role is to bring in potential guys to become priests,” he said. “But ultimately, my hope is that in the end, regardless of if they become priests or not, they become holy men. At the end of the day, if the man decides, ‘No, I don’t think my vocation is the priesthood,’ that’s OK.”
Fr. Cheeyoon acknowledges that the Catholic Church as a whole is in need of more priests. When asked why more men aren’t exploring the vocation, he explained that there is more than one reason.
For starters, Fr. Cheeyoon believes there’s a “misconception that your worth is based on your job.”
Another struggle is people don’t pray and consult with God enough about their purpose on Earth.
“He is our Creator,” Fr. Cheeyoon explained. “Might as well ask the Creator, ‘How have you designed me? What is my purpose?’ “I think we get too caught up in our own ambitions and really haven’t made that discussion or prayer to our Lord, like, ‘What is my purpose? What would you like me to do in this world of great value?’ That could be the priesthood. That could be married life and that could be single life. But I think people really need to discern that before they make any big moves or else they get kind of stuck in the world and they think their purpose is to just make money or to gain popularity.”
With National Vocations Awareness Week being celebrated from Nov. 3-9, Fr. Cheeyoon hopes Orange County Catholics support seminarians through prayer all year long.
He also asks curious men not to hesitate to ask questions and discern what is best for their lives.
“Let me walk with you,” he said. “Let me accompany you. My hope is that you become a saint, and if the priesthood is a way, I certainly can guide you to those steps. Maybe it’s something else. Maybe it’s married life. I like to think of my position as more of a compass really to help young people really figure out what God is calling them to do and to be.”