A Journey with Bishop Vincent Nguyen

Born in Saigon, Vietnam, in 1966, there was never really a doubt in the mind of the future Archdiocese of Toronto Auxiliary Bishop as to whether he should be a priest. In fact, he first felt the calling as a young boy in Grade 5. His early attraction to the Church came to him honestly, considering the story of his great-great-grandfather, who was the first of his family to convert to Catholicism in the mid-1800s and was persecuted for his beliefs.

"The story of his martyrdom was told repeatedly in my family every time my parents got together with my aunts and uncles while I was growing up;' he recalls.

"Many people think he was officially canonized, but he was not. There is a poem circulated among the people ( of my home village) about how he was martyred:'

"The poem tells how (my great-great-grandfather) was tied to a post planted by the riverside near the ocean. The executioners waited for the tide to come up, and from time to time, they came over and asked if he wanted to recant (his beliefs) so they could cut him loose. But he persisted and was faithful to the end and he died by drowning:'

Bishop Nguyen faced his own trials growing up when war broke out and Communism overtook his village.

"At the time, we had a minor seminary in the south in Saigon starting in grade 6;' he recalls. "So, while I was in grade 5, I talked to the pastor of my parish and prepared to enter the minor seminary the following year. But the communists then took over the south and the minor seminary was closed:'

That setback did not deter his determination or his calling, but merely delayed it. He continued his education in Vietnam before "I escaped out of Vietnam".

Once in Canada, he continued his education and his discernment process. He entered Serra House in Toronto in 1992 and enrolled at St. Augustine's Seminary a year later. He earned his Master of Divinity from St. Augustine's in 1998 and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Toronto the same year. It has been 25 years since that day and he was celebrated as a Jubilarian at St. Augustine's Alumni festivities on November 29, 2023.

A humble man, Bishop Nguyen has served the Church in many capacities throughout the years.

He was appointed Vice-Chancellor of Spiritual Affairs in August 2008 after obtaining a Licentiate in Canon Law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome. A year later, he was appointed Chancellor of Spiritual Affairs and Moderator of the Curia.

On November 6, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto. As Auxiliary Bishop, he is responsible for the Eastern Region of the Archdiocese, which includes 40 parishes and missions in Scarborough and Durham Region. In addition to those responsibilities, Bishop Nguyen is also the Vicar for Permanent Deacons.

His appointment as Auxiliary Bishop in Toronto made him the first Asian bishop in the Archdiocese.

It's a distinction he takes seriously. He sees how the Asian community takes a certain pride in his position, providing a deep community connection. He remains active in his support for Vietnamese seminarians studying in Canada, working closely with the Vietnamese community.

When asked by young seminarians for advice, Bishop Nguyen has one word: "Perseverance:'

"Seminary life is all about discerning God's will;' he continues. "That doesn't happen overnight. Through that journey, there are ups and downs, but God will reveal His will. The question we all need to keep asking the Lord is 'What do You want me to do?"'