Joseph Phuong Nguyen
| The Most Reverend Joseph Phuong Nguyen | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Kamloops | |
| Nguyen in 2025 at the Marian Days pilgrimage in Carthage, Missouri.
Nguyen in 2025 at the Marian Days pilgrimage in Carthage, Missouri.
| |
| Native name | Giuse Nguyễn Thế Phương |
| Church | Catholic |
| Province | Vancouver |
| Diocese | Kamloops |
| Appointed | June 1, 2016 |
| Installed | August 25, 2016 |
| Predecessor | David Monroe |
| Previous post | Vicar General, Archdiocese of Vancouver (2013–2016) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | May 30, 1992 by Adam Exner |
| Consecration | August 25, 2016 by J. Michael Miller |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 25, 1957 Đắk Lắk, Republic of Việt Nam |
| Motto | State in Domino (Stand firm in the Lord) (Đứng vững trong Chúa)[1] |
| Ordination history | |
| History Priestly ordination Ordained by Adam Exner (Vancouver) Date May 30, 1992 Place Holy Rosary Cathedral, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Episcopal consecration Principal consecrator J. Michael Miller (Vancouver) Co-consecrators David Monroe (Kamloops em.) Stephen Jensen (Prince George) Date August 25, 2016 Place Sandman Centre, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada | |
| Source(s):[2][3] | |
| Styles | |
| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Your Excellency |
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Joseph Phuong The Nguyen (born March 25, 1957) is a Vietnamese Canadian Catholic prelate serving as Bishop of Kamloops since 2016.[4] He was previously vicar general for the Archdiocese of Vancouver.[5]
Early life
Nguyễn Thế Phương was born on March 25, 1957 in Đắk Lắk, South Vietnam.[6] 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.[5] He additionally has a cousin who is a priest in his home diocese of Ban Mê Thuột.[6]
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.[5]
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.[2] 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.[7]
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.[2] Eventually, he was accepted at the Seminary of Christ the King in Mission.[5] He was also sent to St. Peter's Seminary in London, Ontario, to finish his degree in theology.[8]
Priesthood
On May 30, 1992, Nguyen was ordained as a priest in Holy Rosary Cathedral by Archbishop Adam Exner[2] for the Archdiocese of Vancouver.[7]
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.[9]
References
- Back to citation "Bishop Nguyen Coat of Arms". Roman Catholic Diocese of Kamloops. Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
- Back to citation occurrence 2.0 Back to citation occurrence 2.1 Back to citation occurrence 2.2 Back to citation occurrence 2.3 "Testimonies: Fr. Joseph Phuong Nguyen". RCAV.org. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver. Archived from the original on July 16, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
- Back to citation Krawczynski, Agnieszka (September 14, 2016). "Joyful, reverent priest takes bishop's seat". Prairie Messenger. Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
- Back to citation Cheney, David M. "Father Joseph Phuong Nguyen [Catholic-Hierarchy]". catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
- Back to citation occurrence 5.0 Back to citation occurrence 5.1 Back to citation occurrence 5.2 Back to citation occurrence 5.3 "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.
- Back to citation occurrence 6.0 Back to citation occurrence 6.1 "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.
- Back to citation occurrence 7.0 Back to citation occurrence 7.1 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.
- Back to citation 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.
- Back to citation "Ordination of new Bishop of Kamloops". Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved 1 March 2026.