Joseph Phuong Nguyen Explained

Type:Bishop
Honorific-Prefix:The Most Reverend
Joseph Phuong Nguyen
Native Name:Giuse Nguyễn Thế Phương
Bishop of Kamloops
Church:Catholic
Province:Vancouver
See:Kamloops
Appointed:June 1, 2016
Term Start:August 25, 2016
Predecessor:David Monroe
Ordination:May 30, 1992
Ordained By:Adam Exner
Consecration:August 25, 2016
Consecrated By:J. Michael Miller
Motto:Latin: State in Domino
(English: Stand firm in the Lord)
(Vietnamese: Đứng vững trong Chúa)[1]
Birth Date:25 March 1957
Birth Place:Đắk Lắk, Republic of Việt Nam
Nationality:Vietnamese Canadian
Religion:Catholic
Residence:Kamloops
Coat Of Arms:Coat of arms of Joseph Nguyễn Thế Phương.svg
Joseph Nguyễn Thế Phương
Dipstyle:The Most Reverend
Offstyle:Your Excellency
Relstyle:Your Excellency

Joseph Phuong Nguyen, also known as Joseph Nguyễn Thế Phương (Vietnamese: Giuse Nguyễn Thế Phương; born March 25, 1957), is a Canadian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. On June 1, 2016, Nguyen became the Bishop-elect of the Diocese of Kamloops.[2] Prior to his appointment, Nguyen held the post of Vicar General for the Archdiocese of Vancouver, second to Archbishop Miller.[3]

Background

Nguyễn Thế Phương was born in Vietnam on March 27, 1957. He experienced growing up in a communist country that restricted the faith of its citizens. Nguyen became a minor seminarian at age 11. When the communist government took control of Catholic institutions, Nguyen continued to live out his office and was imprisoned multiple times for training catechists.

Emigration

Nguyen realized that there would be no opportunity to be ordained a priest in Vietnam and secretly attempted to flee the country, nearly losing his life in the process. He was captured and imprisoned by the government, suffering torture and malnutrition from the hands of his oppressors. He escaped but was shortly thereafter injured in an auto accident, remaining in a coma for several months in the Philippines. He came to Canada in 1987 as a refugee and studied English as a second language, eventually being accepted at the Seminary of Christ the King in Mission.[4]

Ordination

Nguyen was ordained as a priest in Holy Rosary Cathedral on May 30, 1992.[4]

Current affairs

On June 1, 2016, Pope Francis appointed Nguyen as the Bishop for the Diocese of Kamloops.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bishop Nguyen Coat of Arms. January 10, 2019. Roman Catholic Diocese of Kamloops. https://web.archive.org/web/20190110124549/https://www.rcdk.org/bishop-joseph-p-nguyen/biography--95/pages/bishop-nguyen-coat-of-arms. January 10, 2019.
  2. Web site: Father Joseph Phuong Nguyen [Catholic-Hierarchy]]. David M.. Cheney. catholic-hierarchy.org. 4 July 2016.
  3. Web site: Pope Francis names new bishop for Kamloops. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver. rcav.org. July 4, 2016. July 7, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160707132624/http://rcav.org/s-kamloops-bishop/. dead.
  4. Web site: Father Joseph Nguyen to become Bishop of Kamloops. Agnieszka. Krawczynski. The B.C. Catholic. June 1, 2016. July 4, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160701211311/http://www.bccatholic.ca/component/content/article/1-latest-news/6287-father-joseph-nguyen-to-become-bishop-of-kamloops. July 1, 2016.