Resurrection pastor was a prayerful, selfless priest

The pain of losing a dynamic pastor in the prime of his priestly ministry was apparent Feb. 2 at the packed funeral Mass for Father Michael­Joseph Nguyen, pastor of Resurrection of Our Lord Church in New Orleans East since 2003.

The parish that survived inundation by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and then a school fire that was set by an arsonist in 2012 – only to come back stronger than ever – is in the midst of its 50th anniversary celebration.

When Father Nguyen, 55, died Jan. 25 of complications from a stroke, Resurrection lost the person credited by many for literally resurrecting a parish when everything appeared lost.

Tireless worker

“I think he worked himself to death,” said Martha O’Dowd, whose family “adopted”
Father Nguyen after he arrived in the U.S. from Vietnam in 1975 with three of his siblings after having left his parents behind.

At a reception following the funeral Mass, which was celebrated by Archbishop Gregory Aymond, parishioners told stories of Father Nguyen’s single-minded resolve.

He refused to accept the potential closure of his parish  after Katrina by beating the bushes for funds to restore the church and school. Bishop Dominic Luong, who was the leader of the Vietnamese Catholic community before becoming auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Orange (Calif.), helped raise thousands of dollars to aid in Resurrection’s comeback.

In the days before his death, Father Nguyen was nearly finished restoring the former church at St. Nicholas of Myra in Lake St. Catherine for use as a mission.

It also was typical, said one parishioner, that he drove himself to the emergency care clinic two weeks ago when he was not feeling well and wound up sustaining the stroke that eventually would take his life.

Younger brother followed

His younger brother, Father Dung Nguyen, 41, of the Diocese of Atlanta, said his older brother inspired him and planted a seed for his own vocation.

“Just like the archbishop said, he was always thinking of other people before thinking about himself,” Father Dung Nguyen said. “He was very self-sacrificing. I tell people I am the product of what he made me to be. I looked up to him in everything.”

Father Nguyen served as parochial administrator of Resurrection of Our Lord in 2002 and was named pastor in 2003. 

Archbishop Aymond said Father Nguyen was an example of a priest who remained faithful to his ordination vows but was never afraid to speak his mind to advocate for his parishioners.

“Those of us who knew him well knew that he was a man of honesty and strong convictions, never afraid to express his opinions,” Archbishop Aymond said. “Very often he would say to me, ‘In the end, I will do whatever you ask of me, but have you thought about this?’”

Stalwart despite illnesses

The archbishop said even in the ups and down of recent illnesses, Father Nguyen remained someone who was willing to sacrifice his life for his parishioners.

“Not only was this parish named after the Resurrection of Jesus, but after Katrina Father MichaelJoseph allowed a new resurrection of this parish and school to take place,” he said. “He begged for funds, he worked with his own hands and with his own heart to rebuild this parish. You became, once again, a family.”

Father Nguyen was born in South Vietnam and immigrated to the U.S. in 1975. He studied at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, the University of New Orleans and the Pontificio Collegio Urbano in Rome. He entered Notre Dame Seminary and was ordained to the priesthood on June 2, 1990.

He served as a parochial vicar at St. Mary Magdalen, Metairie, from 1990-94 and St. Catherine of Siena, Metairie, from 1994-95. He went for studies at Catholic University of America in 1995 and the Angelicum in Rome from 1996-99.

Father Nguyen is survived by his parents, My and Nhan Nguyen, and eight brothers and sisters.

Peter Finney Jr. can be reached at [email protected].