FATHER KIET TA
ADMINISTRATOR
I am Rev. Kiet Anh Ta, a priest of the Diocese of Orange. I was born in Vietnam and I moved to the United States of America in 1995, four days before I turned 21. I received my AA degree at Golden West College in 1999 and a bachelor’s degree in Business at Cal State Fullerton in 2002. During 2002, I also found my vocation in priesthood and applied to the Diocese of Orange. I was accepted and entered St. John’s Seminary in the Spring of 2003. I spent my academic year 2006-2007 at St. Boniface Church in Anaheim, and did my pastoral internship at St. Pius V in Buena Park during 2008-2009. I was ordained on June 12, 2010, and assigned to St. Norbert Church in Orange. After completing my first four -year assignment in this parish successfully, I was called to be the Chaplain at Mater Dei High School in 2014 and remained in this position for five years. In 2019, I was assigned to be a parochial vicar at St. Thomas More Church in Irvine for four years and appointed to Parochial Administrator at Our Lady of La Vang Church in Santa Ana in July 2023.
I would like to thank the former pastor, Father Luan Nguyen, the parish staff, and all who have helped me to begin the new mission in this parish. I look forward to meeting all of you, walking with you in the journey of faith, and working with you for a better and stronger Our Lady of La Vang community. I promise to pray for you and your family as I ask you to pray for me so that we can always “act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8).
Thank you and God bless!
Phuong Van Nguyen
PAROCHIAL VICAR
May the peace and grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you always. My name is Rev. Phuong Nguyen, a priest of the Diocese of Orange. I was born in Thai Binh province, in the North of Vietnam in 1981, and am the oldest of four chil-dren. My dad died of cancer 20 years ago at the age of 48. My mom and siblings live in Vietnam, one of my younger sisters is a Dominican nun and my other siblings are married. I have been in the United States since 2008 and was one of four Vietnamese semi-narians sponsored by the Diocese of Orange that year.
I decided to be a priest when I was 12 years old. My intention came from my desire to celebrate the Eucharist and to seek things related to sacredness of the church sanctuary. I left my family at the age of 12 in 1994 and stayed at my hometown parish with a priest to discern my priesthood vocation. In Vietnam, at that time, traditionally when a boy wanted to be a priest, he had to leave his family and stay at a parish with a priest to be trained, guided, and to observe the process of priesthood formation.
After graduation from high school in 1999, I spent one year in Hue, central of Vietnam, to prepare for my exam to enter the univer-sity. I attended Hanoi University of Foreign Language from 2000- 2005 and graduated with a bachelor degree in education. After graduation from university, I served at my hometown parish in Thai Binh province as a pre- seminarian from 2005- 2008.
In 2008 the Archdiocese of Hanoi and Diocese of Orange became sister Diocese. Following a contract of sisterhood diocese, Or-ange would sponsor four seminarians of Hanoi Archdiocese to study in United States of America to be a priest, and I was chosen to be one of the four. That year, I moved to Anaheim Hills, under the sponsorship of the Diocese of Orange and lived with an English- Speaking family for a year to learn about American culture and sharpen my English skills.
After one year staying with my host family, the Diocese of Orange sent me to Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon to study to be a priest. I studied at Mount Angel Seminary from 2009- 2017, completed my pastoral year at Saint Nicholas in Laguna Woods CA and graduated from the seminary in 2017 with a Master of Divinity degree.
I was ordained a priest for Orange Diocese at Saint Columban Church in Garden Grove CA by Bishop Calvin Vann on June 10, 2017. For my first assignment, I served at Saint Columban Church in Garden Grove CA as a parochial vicar from 2017 – 2022. My next assignment was as parochial vicar at Saint Nicholas in Laguna Woods CA from 2022- 2025.
I have recently been assigned to serve at Our Lady of Lavang Church in Santa Ana CA as a parochial vicar starting July 1, 202 5.
I look forward to this opportunity and it is my honor to be a part of Our Lady of Lavang family. Let us continue to journey with our pastor, Fr. Kiet Ta to take care of our community and to strengthen our faith in God. I ask you to continue pray for priesthood voca-tion especially for me that I may serve God and His people with my Joy and passion.
May the Risen Christ bless us always.
Rev Phuong Van Nguyen
Phuc Nguyen
DEACON
Leopoldo Arana
Deacon