Thanh Thai Nguyen

Thomas Thành Thái Nguyễn (born April 7, 1953) is a Vietnamese-born American bishop of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as an auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Orange in Southern California since 2017.

Early life
Thomas Nguyễn was born on April 7, 1953, in Nha Trang in what was then French Indochina. His family fled Vietnam by boat in 1979, landing in the Philippines after 15 days at sea. They were allowed to immigrate to the United States in 1980.

Nguyễn entered the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette religious order in 1984. He took his first vows to the Missionaries in 1987 and was ordained a deacon in 1990.

Priesthood
On May 11, 1991, Nguyễn was ordained to the priesthood by Auxiliary Bishop Peter Rosazza for the Missionaries Order at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Hartford, Connecticut,

After his 1991 ordination, the Missionaries assigned Nguyễn as an associate pastor at Thomas the Apostle Parish in Smyrna, Georgia. He was transferred in 1994 to St. Ann Parish in Marietta, Georgia, to serve in the same role. In 1996, Nguyễn became parochial vicar at Christ the King Parish in Jacksonville, Florida, part of the Diocese of St. Augustine.

Nguyễn was incardinated, or transferred, from the Missionaries to the Diocese of St. Augustine. In 2001, he was named pastor of Christ the King. He began offering Mass in Vietnamese and established a Vietnamese community at the parish. Nguyễn was transferred from Christ the King to St. Joseph Parish in Jacksonville, where he inaugurated a youth Mass and built a youth center.

Auxiliary Bishop of Orange
Pope Francis appointed Nguyễn as auxiliary bishop of Orange on October 6, 2017. On December 19, 2017, Nguyen was consecrated as a bishop by Bishop Kevin Vann at St. Columban Church in Garden Grove, California. Bishops Felipe de Jesús Estévez and Robert Baker were the co-consecrators.