Parish priest, Father Tri Nguyen
Phone. 050 361 7942
Email: tri.nguyen@katolinen.fi
I was born in South Vietnam on January 20, 1978, and grew up in a deeply religious Catholic family in a small village, which, however, had a large parish church, always full of people during mass. From a young age, I was an altar server, then a reader, and I also sang in the choir. All of this strengthened my religious life. In the parish house of my home church, I was given an example of good priestly life. It was a kind of small seminary. Even at the age of 9, I felt a calling to the priesthood. The Catholic environment, funeral rites during the rainy season, the traumas of war, and the sorrow and suffering of people also influenced my calling to the priesthood: to serve and help others, especially those in need.
I arrived in Finland with my family at the age of 13, and we settled in Järvenpää. In my first year, I studied Finnish at elementary school, and then I moved on to secondary school and later high school, where my calling to the priesthood was strengthened. In 1999, I went to London to study philosophy at Allen Hall Seminary for two years. After completing a year of civilian service in Finland, I moved to Rome to continue my theological studies for three years. I lived in the international Sedes Sapientiae Seminary in Trastevere, managed by Opus Dei, and studied at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, which is located behind Piazza Navona.
I returned to Finland in 2005. After that, I was ordained as a deacon in Turku on the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25, 2006, and as a priest in the medieval monastery church of Naantali on October 7, 2006, during the patronal feast of the Turku parish. I worked as an assistant priest in Turku for five years, during which I was also entrusted with the pastoral care of the Vietnamese community in Finland.
I then went back to Rome to pursue licentiate and doctoral studies from 2011 to 2016. I defended my doctoral dissertation at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross on June 13, 2016. My dissertation topic was the apostolicity of the Church and apostolic succession, and their mutual relationship’s impact on post-Vatican II Catholic-Lutheran dialogue. After my studies in Rome, Bishop Emeritus Teemu Sippo SCJ appointed me as the chaplain of the Cathedral Parish of St. Henry and gave me a special mission to carry out pastoral work for the Vietnamese community in the diocese. Alongside these duties, I was also appointed by the bishop as the director of the Stella Maris Activity Center in 2017. I worked there for just under a year in Lohja before returning to the Helsinki Cathedral.
This spring, the bishop appointed me as the acting parish priest of the Holy Cross Parish, effective from July 1, 2019. My priestly motto is succinctly “everything is grace,” so this new position as parish priest is also grace.
Nguyen Toan Tri
(Sanctus Henricus 4/2015, pp. 6-7; Fides 10/2016, pp. 8-9)
Deacon Nguyễn Mạnh Chiến
My name is Nguyễn Mạnh Chiến. The name my parents chose for me when I was baptized in the Catholic Church on March 1, 1987, is John the Baptist. This is a typical cultural trait among Vietnamese Catholics. Everyone has two names: one in official government documents and another in Catholic documents, which is chosen based on the patron saint selected during baptism. Therefore, I am Chien, and I am also John.
I was born in the city of Biên Hòa, in Đồng Nai Province. Biên Hòa holds two special characteristics for me: immigration and Catholicism. In 1954, after the Geneva Accords, Vietnam was divided at the 17th parallel. Biên Hòa received a large number of Catholics who migrated from North Vietnam to the South, forming a large Catholic community. After 1990, Biên Hòa developed into one of Vietnam’s leading industrial cities, home to thousands of manufacturing companies. As a result, Biên Hòa continues to receive a significant number of immigrants who come to work. Today, Biên Hòa is known as an industrial city in Southern Vietnam, located about 35 km from downtown Saigon. One distinctive feature of Biên Hòa is its industrial lifestyle, with the streets full of people during the early work hours in the morning and again in the afternoon when the workday ends. The culture of this densely populated immigrant city has influenced me. I was born into an immigrant family and have grown accustomed to the ‘mobile family’ lifestyle. I feel that I share a similar starting point with Jesus.
Hố Nai, an ancient and well-known name in Vietnam, is the place where I spent the first 18 years of my life. Hố Nai is known for the cultural heritage of the Catholics from “Bắc Kỳ 54” (the northern Vietnamese). The Hố Nai – Biên Hòa area spans approximately 1000 km², but it is densely populated, with over a hundred parishes extending 20 kilometers from the main state highway. When I was young, almost all of us thought that the whole world was Catholic and that churches were everywhere. My memories of my hometown are connected to Sundays and Catholic celebrations such as Christmas, Easter, and the Vietnamese New Year. The church bells rang in a spiritual atmosphere. My memories include cold, foggy streets full of people heading to church in long clothes and on motorcycles. During the week, many people woke up early at 4:00 AM to attend mass and dedicate the new day to the Lord. Many also went to mass in the afternoon after work, going straight to church and then either home or elsewhere. The church was their gathering place.
On August 4, 2006, the feast day of St. John Vianney, the patron saint of priests, I arrived in Finland. In 2007, during my pilgrimage to Fatima, where the 90th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary was celebrated, I experienced a profound transformation in my life. I felt a strong calling to dedicate myself completely to the Virgin Mary and to learn from her how to become more like her Son, Jesus. After returning, I prayed quietly and sought my calling to the priesthood. While studying at the university in Oulu, I experienced many inner changes and external changes in my lifestyle, particularly a calling to serve in the parish, among the poor, and in immigrant communities. I greatly admire Jesus, and I also deeply love Mary. After many experiences, prayers, work, and especially the death of my father in 2013, I decided to enter St. Joseph’s Seminary in September 2015, and I graduated in May 2023.
On February 13, 2024, I returned to Finland to continue my service in the Archdiocese of Helsinki. Bishop Raimo sent me to serve at the Holy Cross Parish in Tampere, as well as in the diaspora areas of Hämeenlinna, Vaasa, Kokkola, and Pietarsaari.
Since 2007, my journey has had many crosses. When I face great trials and feel that failure is near, the call of the Virgin Mary and my desire to become more like Jesus have always been a source of strength for me to keep moving forward. I want to proclaim the Gospel everywhere the presence of the Gospel is needed. I do not limit myself to any particular area. The path I have walked, am walking, and will walk is the path that Jesus Christ walked, along with complete dedication to the Virgin Mary – “Totus tuus.”
Nguyễn Mạnh Chiến