Joseph Phuong Nguyen

Joseph Phuong The Nguyen (born March 25, 1957) is a Vietnamese Canadian Catholic prelate serving as Bishop of Kamloops since 2016. He was previously vicar general for the Archdiocese of Vancouver.

Early life Nguyễn Thế Phương was born on March 25, 1957 in Đắk Lắk, South Vietnam. He is the eldest of ten children, with one brother who is a priest of the Diocese of Hamilton and two sisters who are religious.

In 1987, Nguyen came to Vancouver, Canada, as a refugee. He was initially discouraged from pursuing the priesthood due to the difficulties he faced while fleeing Vietnam. Still, his father encouraged him to continue, and he took a job as a painter and studied English as a second language.

Priesthood On May 30, 1992, Nguyen was ordained as a priest in Holy Rosary Cathedral by Archbishop Adam Exner