May 26, 2022

Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. John’s,

We are excited to announce that Archbishop Bernard Hebda has named soon-to-be Father Joseph Nguyên as our next Parochial Vicar (Associate Pastor) of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and School. He will serve alongside me and help lead our wonderful parish. Many of you will remember him as Deacon Joseph Nguyên as he served as our summer deacon in 2021. He generously gave of himself during his time here last summer and I am certain that he will be a great witness of a disciple who lives out of a generous spirit.  He connected well with our youth and also enjoyed visiting the homebound. He built relationships with parishioners of all ages and will be able to build upon that foundation as he begins his priestly service here. I am very excited to welcome him back as a brother priest now and look forward to having another priest back at the rectory. He is also a good cook, which I am grateful for 🙂 He also enjoys kayaking, racquetball, and spending time with parishioners.

A little backstory, soon-to-be Father Joseph Nguyên comes from a family of six; mom, dad, two older sisters, and a younger brother. He grew up south of the river in Savage, Minnesota. Our soon-to-be associate pastor wanted to be a priest ever since he was a little boy. He became a server in 3rd grade because it was as close as he could get to being a priest! When high school graduation came around, Father Nguyên had 2 choices: study engineering at the U of M or seminary and discern the priesthood. And here he is now, after 4 years at St. John Vianney Seminary and 4 years in the Saint Paul Seminary, he will be ordained a priest on May 25, 2022! Please pray for him as he is ordained this Saturday at the Cathedral of St. Paul at 10 am.  He will begin his service as Parochial Vicar on June 15. Please be sure to make him feel welcome as Saint John’s new associate pastor!

As the Father loves me, so also I love you!