Thinh Xuan Nguyen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thinh Xuan Nguyen | |
|---|---|
| Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne | |
| Native name | Gioakim Nguyễn Xuân Thinh |
| Church | Catholic |
| Archdiocese | Melbourne |
| Province | Melbourne |
| Appointed | 8 November 2024 |
| Other post | Titular Bishop of Madaurus |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 16 September 2006 by Denis Hart |
| Consecration | 1 February 2025 by Peter Comensoli |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 January 1973 Saigon, South Vietnam |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Motto |
|
| Styles of Thinh Xuan Nguyen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | His Lordship The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | My Lord |
| Religious style | Bishop |
Joachim Thinh Xuân Nguyễn (born 3 January 1973) is an Australian bishop of the Catholic Church. He serves as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
Nguyễn Xuân Thinh was born on 3 January 1973 in Saigon, then part of South Vietnam.[1] He is the eleventh of nine brothers and four sisters born to Hang Xuan Nguyen and Coi Thi Nguyen (née Pham). One of his older brothers is also a priest, Joachim Nguyễn Xuân Tiến, SSC, who serves in Japan.[2]
After finishing his primary education at Kết Đoàn Primary School,[3][1] at the age of thirteen, he and his family arrived in Australia and settled in Melbourne after fleeing Vietnam by boat.[2] He was later enrolled in secondary school at Redden Catholic College, Preston. He obtained a Bachelor of Building Engineering degree from Victoria University and worked for an engineering firm before entering Corpus Christi College Regional Seminary, Carlton, in 1999.[3]
Presbyteral ministry
Nguyen was ordained a deacon on 8 October 2005.[4] He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Melbourne on 16 September 2006 at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Patrick, by Archbishop Denis Hart.[3] He served in the parish of Deer Park as a curate before being appointed parish priest of Fitzroy. He became a formator at Corpus Christi College Regional Seminary in 2013. He then served as chaplain at the University of Melbourne from 2018[5] and as assistant vocation director of the archdiocese.[6] In 2020 he became parish priest in Bennettswood.[5]
He holds a master's degree in theological studies and a Master of Arts in spirituality. In 2022, he was appointed coordinator of Clergy, Life and Ministry in the archdiocese.[6]
Episcopal ministry
On 8 November 2024, Pope Francis announced his appointment of Nguyen and Rene Ramirez RCJ as auxiliary bishops of Melbourne.[5] Nguyen expressed his surprise upon receiving the news of his appointment. He commented that he felt overwhelmed by the "responsibility and the weight of the task ahead," but remembered a line from the Gospel of Matthew, which encouraged him to accept this role, "Take heart! It is I! Do not be afraid!"[a][3] The sentiment behind this line was later seen in his episcopal motto, in which he took a similar verse, "Take courage. He’s calling you."[b][7]
The pair were consecrated as bishops on 1 February 2025 at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Patrick.[3] The principal consecrator was Archbishop Peter Comensoli while Bishop Gregory Bennet of Sale and Bishop Shane Mackinlay of Sandhurst were co-consecrators.[8] Nguyen serves as auxiliary bishop for the eastern region of the archdiocese.[6]
