Fr. Nghiem Van Nguyen

Pastor of Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church

Fr. Dominic Nguyen Van Nghiem was born on August 21, 1958, in Long Khanh, Vietnam. In his family, he was the eldest of eleven children and the first of two priests. He entered the minor seminary at age of 12 in Saigon, Vietnam, and remained in the seminary until after the fall of Saigon. Under the new communist regime, the seminary encountered hardships in supporting young seminarians to reach priesthood. Having been severely injured during work in the field, the young seminarian was sent home to recover. During this time, he and his family managed to escape the communist country by boat and arrived at one of the many refugee camps throughout Southeast Asia. Eventually the family was permitted into the United States in late December 1978.

Despite struggling with language barriers and adapting to a new culture, he did not waste any time applying into the seminary. In 1979, he was accepted into St. Joseph Seminary in Covington, Louisiana, and began his seminary training for the priesthood all over again. He graduated from Notre Dame Seminary Graduate School of Theology and was ordained priest on August 9, 1989. He began his priestly ministry as assistant pastor at St. Lawrence the Martyr Catholic Church in Metairie from 1989 to 1994. In 1994, he was appointed as assistant pastor to St. Mary Magdalen in Metairie. In 2000, he was appointed as pastor to St. Matthew the Apostle in River Ridge. And in 2010, he was appointed as pastor to Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church where he remained until his passing. He began his priestly ministry at the Church of St. Lawrence the Martyr and ended his priestly ministry on August 10, 2023, on the feast of St. Lawrence the Martyr.

Fr. Dominic Nguyen Van Nghiem, the son of the late Mr. Thinh Van Nguyen and Mrs. Dao Thi Nguyen, is survived by his mother; his sister-in-law Nga and her two children; his younger brother priest Fr. Thanh Nguyen of Archdiocese of Oklahoma City; his sister Hong, her husband Vinh, and their six children; his sister Nhung, her husband Paul, and their four children; his brother Kevin, his wife Samantha, and their child; his brother Hien, his wife Tram, and their three children; his brother Hieu and his wife Tram; his youngest sister Huong, her husband Lam, and their three children; and his youngest brother Khanh.

In addition to his family, Fr. Dominic Nghiem also formed a spiritual family of his own. He adopted young sisters and brothers who wish to dedicate their lives in the service of God and His Church. He considered these young sisters and brothers as his own children. The eldest of his spiritual children is Sister Theresa Hien, who is currently residing in Vietnam with the Dominican Sister Congregation helping to form other young sisters to live a life of consecration and service to the Church. Sister Hien is followed by Fr. Thien Nguyen who was ordained priest in 2018 for the Archdiocese of New Orleans and who has been serving alongside Fr. Dominic Nghiem as assistant pastor at the Mary Queen of Vietnam Church. The third of his adopted children is Fr. Nghi Nguyen who was ordained priest in 2018 and who is currently serving in Vietnam as spiritual director for the seminarians and organizing classes to teach Catholic Catechism throughout Vietnam. The youngest of his adopted children is Fr. Long Pham who was recently ordained priest in June 2023. Fr. Long has been to other seminaries, and at one point, he fell into a challenging time in deciding to continue studying for the priesthood. Fr. Dominic Nghiem took him in, provided him with support, guided him along, and successfully helped him reach the priesthood. Fr. Long, the youngest of his four adopted children, is currently serving as assistant pastor at St. Edward the Confessor in Metairie. There are many more young men and women Fr. Dominic Nghiem also took in and provided support in their pursuit of priesthood and religious life. His love for vocations has been firmly grounded in his early life’s desire to serve God in the priesthood and religious life. Despite having to study for priesthood all over again when he arrived in the United States, he had never once in his life thought of abandoning the calling to serve God and His Church. Throughout his priestly life, he knew that he was only a grain, and a grain must fall to the ground and die to make many more seeds.

Fr. Dominic Nguyen Van Nghiem was famously known for always enjoying the company of others. He will be remembered as a priest who was very dedicated to the Church, to the families in the parishes where he served, and to his own family. He was a beloved son, brother, uncle, great-uncle, and, especially, a spiritual father to his adopted children. But most of all, he was a humble servant of God.

Visitations, Wake Service and Funeral Service:

> Visitation on August 17th & 18th 1:00-5:00 PM at St. Bernard Memorial Funeral Home, 701 W. Virtue St., Chalmette, LA 70043.

> Wake Service is on Friday, August 18, 2023, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church, 14001 Dwyer Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70129.

> Visitation will take place on Saturday, August 19, 2023, from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church, 14001 Dwyer Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70129.

> A Funeral Mass will take place on Saturday, August 19, 2023, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church, 14001 Dwyer Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70129.

> Fr. Dominic Nguyen Van Nghiem will be laid to eternal rest on Saturday, August 19, 2023, at 1:00 PM at All Saints Mausoleum in Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd., Metairie, LA 70124.

Fr. Dominic Nguyen Van Nghiem’s family and his spiritual family would like to extend their sincere love and gratitude for the support, love, and prayers from all of God’s People.