Joseph Tran Văn Toan

Joseph Trần Văn Toản (born 7 April 1955) is a Vietnamese Catholic prelate who serves as the Bishop of Long Xuyên. He was previously an auxiliary bishop of the same diocese from 2014 to 2017 and then coadjutor bishop until 2019.

Biography

Early life and education Trần Văn Toản was born on 7 April 1955 in Tam Kỳ, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. He began his religious studies at the minor seminary of Long Xuyên in 1966, continuing until 1974, and then at the major seminary until 1980. He served voluntarily in parishes in Môi Khôi and Thạnh Quới in the diocese of Long Xuyên for over ten years while awaiting government authorization for his ordination to the priesthood.

Priesthood

He was ordained a priest on 16 January 1992 by Bishop Jean Baptiste Bùi Tuần and served as a parish vicar in Môi Khôi until 1999. He then went to Manila to study at De La Salle University, obtaining a doctorate in education in 2005. Upon returning to Vietnam, he was appointed director of the pastoral center and coordinator of pastoral and missionary activities in the diocese of Long Xuyên, as well as rector of the minor seminary of Santa Teresa. He also served as a professor of missiology at the inter-diocesan major seminary of Cần Thơ.

Episcopal ministry

On 5 April 2014, Pope Francis appointed him auxiliary bishop of Long Xuyên and assigned him the titular see of Acalissus. At the Vietnamese Bishops' Conference, he was elected president of the commission for laypeople for three consecutive terms since 2016.