Joseph Phuong Nguyen

Contents

Joseph Phuong The Nguyen (born March 25, 1957) is a Vietnamese Canadian Catholic prelate serving as Bishop of Kamloops since 2016.[1] He was previously vicar general for the Archdiocese of Vancouver.[2]

Early life

Nguyễn Thế Phương was born on March 25, 1957 in Đắk Lắk, South Vietnam.[3] He is the eldest of ten children, with one brother who is a priest of the Diocese of Hamilton and two sisters who are religious.[2] He additionally has a cousin who is a priest in his home diocese of Ban Mê Thuột.[3]

Nguyen had a deep love for God at an early age and became a minor seminarian at age 11. When the communist government took control of Catholic institutions, Nguyen continued to live out of his office and was imprisoned multiple times for training catechists.[2]

Nguyen realized that there would be no opportunity to be ordained a priest in Vietnam. He secretly attempted to flee, telling only his father the plan, but he was caught and forced to return to shore.[4] He and his group were then captured and imprisoned by the government, suffering torture and malnutrition. He then made another attempt to escape the country by boat with another group. This time, the boat was rescued by a German ship and was brought to the Filipino Palawan refugee camp. He was shortly thereafter injured in an auto accident, remaining in a coma for several months.[5]

In 1987, Nguyen came to Vancouver, Canada, as a refugee. He was initially discouraged from pursuing the priesthood due to the difficulties he faced while fleeing Vietnam. Still, his father encouraged him to continue, and he took a job as a painter and studied English as a second language.[4] Eventually, he was accepted at the Seminary of Christ the King in Mission.[2] He was also sent to St. Peter's Seminary in London, Ontario, to finish his degree in theology.[6]

Priesthood

On May 30, 1992, Nguyen was ordained as a priest in Holy Rosary Cathedral by Archbishop Adam Exner[4] for the Archdiocese of Vancouver.[5]

Bishop of Kamloops

On June 1, 2016, Pope Francis appointed Nguyen as the Bishop for the Diocese of Kamloops. The episcopal ordination and installation as bishop took place on August 25, 2016, at the Sandman Centre, with Archbishop J. Michael Miller of Vancouver as the principal celebrant.[7]

References

  1. 1.Cheney, David M. "Father Joseph Phuong Nguyen [Catholic-Hierarchy]". catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  2. 2.[2.2][2.3][2.4]"Pope Francis names new bishop for Kamloops". rcav.org. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver. Archived from the original on July 7, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  3. 3.[3.2]"Tòa Thánh bổ nhiệm Tân Giám mục Giuse Nguyễn Thế Phương - Người con Giáo xứ Vinh Đức, BMT". Diocese of Ban Mê Thuột. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  4. 4.[4.2][4.3]"Testimonies: Fr. Joseph Phuong Nguyen". RCAV.org. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver. Archived from the original on July 16, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  5. 5.[5.2]Krawczynski, Agnieszka (June 1, 2016). "Father Joseph Nguyen to become Bishop of Kamloops". The B.C. Catholic. Archived from the original on July 1, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  6. 6.Minh Đức. "Tin vui: Một linh mục Việt Nam được bổ nhiệm làm giám mục tại Canada". Conggiao.info. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  7. 7."Ordination of new Bishop of Kamloops". Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved 1 March 2026.