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The Vietnam News

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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.