BRIDGEPORT—On Saturday, June 11, 11 am at St. Augustine Cathedral in Bridgeport, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano will ordain Deacon Anh Vu to the Sacred Priesthood.
Deacon Anh Vu will be vested by Father Robert Kinnally. The first reading will be read in English by Deacon Anh Vu’s niece, Michelle Vu and the second reading will be read in Vietnamese by Deacon Anh Vu’s friend ThaiHoa Le. Mr. Ngon Vu and Mrs. Xuyen Nguyen will carry the gifts. Msgr. James Mongelluzzo, Father Vincent Daily and Father Joseph Zwosta from Pope Saint John XXIII National Seminary will all be present, as well as Father Charles Caccavale from St. Joseph Seminary.
Anh Vu was ordained a transitional deacon on Saturday, March 12, 2022.
Deacon Anh Vu was born into a Catholic family in Dong Nai, Vietnam on September 17, 1985. He has seven siblings. Before discerning a call to the priesthood, he was a mechanical engineer and worked in Saigon. During his seven years in Saigon, he served as sacristan, altar server, and catechist for children on Sundays at Holy Family Parish in Saigon.
“In Saigon, I also went with my pastor to visit the sick in their homes and hospitals. All of these works were my first experiences in the ministry and mission of the Church. Spending time with our Lord Jesus in the chapel and serving his people motivated me to enter the seminary,” he said.
In 2011, Anh Vu moved to Connecticut to study. After a long time of discernment, he made the decision to enter St. John Fisher Seminary of the Diocese of Bridgeport, where he finished his bachelor’s degree in philosophy. He earned degrees from Su Pham Ky Thuat University in Saigon, Vietnam in 2008, and from Sacred Heart University, Fairfield in 2016.
Anh Vu completed his studies and formation at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary. He is a resident of Stamford and a member of The Parish of St. Cecilia and St. Gabriel in Stamford.
Deacon Anh Vu will celebrate his first Mass on Sunday, June 12 at 11:15 am at St. Cecilia Church in Stamford. Father John Connaughton, pastor, will serve as the homilist. The concelebrants will be Father Robert Kinnally, Father John Connaughton, Msgr. Cuong Pham, Father Peter Vu, Father Sean Kulacz, Father Augustine Nguyen, Father Mariusz Olbrys, Father David Roman, Father Philip Phan and Father Guy Dormévil.
(Below, Deacon Anh Vu shares his thoughts upon ordination):
My name is Anh Vu. I was born in Vietnam in a Catholic family with six siblings. After high school, I studied mechanical engineering and worked in Saigon in Vietnam. During that time, I had a great chance to help my pastor at Holy Family Parish in Saigon for seven years. I was a sacristan, altar server, and catechist for children on Sundays. In addition, I went with my pastor to visit the sick in their homes and hospitals. All of these works were my first experiences in the ministry and mission of the church. Spending time with our Lord Jesus in chapel and serving his people motivated me to enter the seminary. So, in 2011, I moved to Connecticut to study. After a long time of discernment, I finally decided to join a minor seminary of the Diocese of Bridgeport, where I finished my bachelor’s degree in philosophy. After that, I started studying theology in New York and completed my study at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary.
