Father Toan Nguyen
Father Toan was born in Da Nang, Vietnam to Vuc Xuan and Ton Thi Nguyen. Loving brother of Hoan Thi Nguyen, Hung Manh Nguyen, Tuan Xuan Nguyen, Phuong Xuan Nguyen, Binh Xuan Nguyen, An Xuan Nguyen, and brother in-law to Thai Quoc Nguyen, also survived by loving in-laws and nieces and nephews.
He immigrated from Vietnam escaping on a small boat at sea with 57 other people for 22 days towards freedom. He was in a refugee camp in Indonesia then resettled in Canada in 1975. He attended college in Montreal, studied psychology and worked at a hospital. After 12 years in Canada, he decided to study to become a priest. He attended St. Joseph’s College in Mountain View followed by St. Patrick’s Seminary and was ordained as a priest April 13, 1996.
Father Tuon served at St. Anthony of Padua, Novato; Saint Elizabeth Parish, San Francisco; Saint Isabella, San Rafael; St. Mary’s Cathedral, San Francisco; Holy Name of Jesus Church, San Francisco and most recently, St. Catherine of Siena Church in Burlingame.
Father Tuon recounted in a publication at Holy Name of Jesus Parish, “I love to say Mass, to preach, I love to hear Confessions, and visit the sick and be out with the people – those are my favorite things. I believe that everyone has their own journey in life, and on that journey we experience different things. Sometimes, people have hope. Sometimes, they have no hope at all and become angry with God or people. We have to go through those things in life, but we always have the opportunities to turn to God because the grace of God is always there. At any moment of our lives, if we turn to God and say “yes” to God, God is always there for us. The grace of God is always there. Faith gives you strength and courage to overcome difficulties in life, any circumstance.”
Friends may visit Sunday, June 11th at 4:00pm at St Catherine of Siena Church, 1310 Bayswater Ave., Burlingame where a vigil service will be held at 5:00pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday, June 12th, 11:00am at St. Catherine of Siena. Interment Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, Colma. Donations may be made to the Archdiocese Priest Retirement Fund, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109.