Vietnam-born bishop appointed in California
A 62-year-old priest born in Vietnam
and schooled in the United States
was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of
Orange, Calif., on Friday, placing the
United States' first Vietnamese-American Roman Catholic bishop at
the center of the country's largest Vietnamese population.
The appointment of Dominic Dinh Mai Luong by Pope John Paul II
reflects the rapid, one-generation maturation of the Vietnamese
American community within the Catholic Church since the end of the
Vietnam war in 1975.
"It has a symbolic punch," said Dr. Michael P. Horan, associate
professor of theological studies at Loyola Marymount University in
Los Angeles. "It signals that the Vietnamese Catholic community has
come of age, especially in Southern California."
The announcement was greeted with celebrations by many
Vietnamese Catholics. "This news is like a miracle," said Sister
Francesca at the Vietnamese Catholic Center in Santa Ana, Calif. .
"We have someone who can relate to us, our experiences as
refugees, our language, culture, history and religious beliefs. I feel so
proud."
At a news conference called to announce the appointment, Luong
said that he had written the pope to thank him for "recognizing our
presence here in the U.S. In just 28 years, we have contributed so
much to the church."
"I don't know if it's overdue," he added, referring to the appointment
of a Vietnamese American bishop. "On every issue, the church isn't
very quick. That's wisdom."
Vietnamese American Catholics represent less than 1 percent of the
estimated 64 million U.S. church members. Since 1975, however,
about 350 American Vietnamese priests have been ordained, the
largest contribution to the vocation of any ethnic group.
Luong's appointment also marks another step in efforts by Roman
Catholic officials to diversify the church's hierarchy in the United
States in order to make the ranks of bishops more closely reflect the
growing number of Asians and Hispanics among the faithful. In
Orange County, Calif., Vietnamese Americans now make up 11
percent of the people attending Catholic Masses, according to church
figures. The diocese's 13 parishes hold 27 Masses in Vietnamese
each weekend.
Luong, who will formally be ordained on June 11, is the second
Asian-American named as a bishop. Last year, the pope appointed a
Chinese-American, Ignatius C. Wang, as an auxiliary bishop in San
Francisco.
Auxiliary bishops perform the same liturgical rites -- ordinations,
confirmation, the blessing of sacramental oils -- as other prelates, but
don't head dioceses. Luong will join Bishop Jaime Soto as one of two
lieutenants to Tod D. Brown, the Bishop of Orange.
"I think this shows that the Holy Father is attuned to the particular
pastoral needs of the ethnic community in the United States," said
David Early, a spokesman with the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops.
Luong's appointment ended a two-year process, begun when Bishop
Brown asked the Vatican for another auxiliary bishop to help
shepherd the growing flock of 1.2 million Orange County Catholics.
About the same time, American bishops began working to identify a
Vietnamese American priest who would perform well in a bishop's
role.
"It all came together perfectly," Brown said, adding that when he
called the archbishop of New Orleans, where Luong currently
serves, he was told "you're taking our best."
News of Luong's promotion spread quickly through Vietnamese
American communities by phone calls, e-mails and special bulletins
on Vietnamese-language broadcasts such as Little Saigon Radio.
"Everyone was jumping up and down" when the news was
announced on the radio, said Joe Dinh, a reporter for Little Saigon
Radio, which has stations in Orange County, San Jose, Calif., and
Houston. "It's very, very surprising, and it's very incredible to us."
Luong, one of 11 children, was born in Bui Chu, a town 45 miles
southeast of Hanoi. He came to the United States in 1958, when he
was 18, to attend seminary in Rochester, N.Y. Ordained in 1966 by
the Diocese of Da Nang, he worked for a decade in Buffalo before
moving to the Archdiocese of New Orleans. He is currently pastor
of Mary, Queen of Vietnam in east New Orleans and director of the
National Center for the Vietnamese Apostolate.
By William Lobdell - The Los Angeles Times - April 26, 2003.
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