Vietnamese refugee becomes youngest Catholic bishop in Canada
TORONTO, ON—At age 43, Vincent Nguyen has become both the youngest and the first Asian Roman Catholic bishop in Canada.
Nguyen came to Canada 25 years ago as a refugee from Vietnam. The great-great-grandson of a martyr for the faith, Nguyen left Vietnam as one of the "boat people," surviving a dangerous journey on a crowded boat, before ending up in a Japanese refugee camp. His two older brothers had already made it to Canada, and one sponsored him to come to this country.
Nguyen was 18 when he arrived in Toronto, speaking no English. He left behind four more brothers and two sisters in Vietnam. All nine siblings were present for Nguyen's ordination on January 13, the first time in 30 years they have all been together in one place.
ChristianWeek spoke to Nguyen by telephone the day after his ordination.
Your recent ordination has garnered a lot of press. How does it feel to be ordained as Canada's first Asian Catholic bishop?
Nguyen: "It's overwhelming! People who know me, know that I am very shy. I never want to be at the centre of the attention. I am very honoured to be ordained a bishop. I am very honoured and humbled to be asked to take on this very great office in the church."
What impact do you think your background as a refugee has on your faith?
The motto that I chose [for my coat of arms] is Matthew 28:20: "I am with you." And that is my prayer. Not only for myself, but reminding others that the Lord promised to be with His people. We are not alone. God is with us. My prayer is that people will experience God's presence in their lives, journeying with us.
Certainly as I left my country, and thought of never seeing my family again, and arriving in this country, I felt very lonely. Some days I cried. At the beginning it is difficult when you don't speak the language, when you don't have friends. You leave behind a lot. But it was also a mix of joy to be here in this country, for the freedom and peace that we did not have in Vietnam.
I got through that experience [with the help of] people I met at church. Now when I meet young people at church who are new to Canada, I whisper in their ear, "Do you cry a lot?" And they say, "How did you know?" Usually that's one of the things I say that really touches them. They're glad that I understand and I share that.
The first church I attended was Saint Celia's Church in Toronto. They had a handful of people there already from Vietnam. Father Peter Pham-Hoang Ba became my mentor through the years, encouraging me, nurturing me in my vocation, encouraging me to attend seminary to become a priest. He was my spiritual father in this country where I didn't have a father. I had him as a chaplain at my ordination. I was truly honored to have him there.
Is there anything that you learned through your journey, that you would like to pass on to other Christians in Canada?
I am most thankful for the many blessings that God has given to me through all this, through all my life. It was through what He had planned, then guiding and leading me to the present. It's something that is so mysterious. As you live you do not know what will happen next. As we journey in the moment we sometimes don't feel God's hand so clearly. But as you sit and look back, you can clearly see the action He took—His hand all over.
I think with my journey to Canada—in all the first adversity that happened to me, through all the dreadful events that happened around us—it helped to trust in the Lord. I trusted in His plans and providential care.
I don't think we can venture into the unknown without trusting in His plans for the journey. Without faith and trust in the Lord, I don't think I would have been able to say yes to this great office of bishop.
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