Thao Lai came to Omaha in Oct. 2024 to attend the Saint Paul VI Institute’s Education Phase I program, but it was more than chance that brought her here. In 2001, she came to the U.S. on an international student visa, not through a lottery. Then during her college years, she applied to an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program and was selected to enter the program via a lottery system using her student ID.
“By the grace of God, I got into a nursing program by lottery,” she said. “Out of 500 students, they chose 25, and my student ID was picked.”
After receiving an associates degree as a registered nurse, Thao was able to work as a hospital that sponsored her green card as she pursued a bachelor’s degree. This was another moment of divine timing, as this was the last year the hospital would offer such sponsorships.
Thao, who was raised Catholic, found her faith challenged years later as a Nurse Practitioner. Now married and a mother of two, she chose to have an IUD for contraception. Despite her upbringing, Thao worked in an environment where prescribing birth control and referring patients for IUD placement was the norm, even among members of her diocese. Her mother, however, urged her to talk to her priest about the Church’s stance on contraception. This priest also encouraged Thao to read about Natural Family Planning methods.
At the time, Thao thought these methods had a very high failure rate, and she sought to change Church teaching on contraception. “I’m like, why is the Catholic Church the only one teaching this?” she asked. “I was going to change that teaching. Other denominations have already changed it. Why can’t the Catholic Church?”
Through studying these two texts, Thao discovered the beauty of natural methods, including the Creighton Model. “I studied Theology of the Body, then Humanae Vitae, and learned what natural family planning truly is. I realized there’s beauty in it,” Thao said. “ I really wanted to change the Catholic Church, but in that journey, I became more Catholic.”
As Thao learned about natural methods, she had her IUD removed and began charting her own cycle with a Creighton Model instructor. Thao was very impressed with how detail-oriented her instructor was. “She doesn’t miss anything, but she covered a lot,” Thao said. “I think it was the standardization that was really helpful for her follow-up, her introductory sessions.”
Discussing natural methods had been “a bit taboo” in both the Vietnamese community and her diocese, but Thao quickly learned how important this education would be for women. Thao was especially encouraged by new programs in Latin America, showing the ability of the method to work across different languages.
“If they can bring a program like that to Mexico, it could be in my country,” Thao said. “I can do the program and inspire Vietnamese women in my community.”
Thao’s renewed faith is shown on the jacket she wore to the Saint Paul VI Institute’s education program in 2024. It bears the logo for “Walk to Mary,” a 21-mile pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion. Thao now participates in this pilgrimage annually, which was where she was inspired to join the EP program.
“This is where I got the inspiration to do the program,” Thao said. “I was consecrating myself to [Mary], and she said to Adele, but I feel like she said to me, ‘Go and fear nothing. I will help you.’”