CALIFORNIA
The Valley Catholic
By Liz Sullivan
Diocese of San Jose Bishop Patrick J. McGrath recently sat down with The Valley Catholic to discuss the recent arrest of Monsignor Hien Minh Nguyen for 14 counts of Bank Fraud totaling $19,000 and Tax Evasion.
The Bishop was saddened by this development, noting that “Monsignor Hien has been a priest of the Diocese of San Jose for nearly 30 years. In his years as pastor of St. Patrick, he paid off previously accrued parish and school debts and created a strong foundation upon which to serve the community.”
Ordained in 1985, Nguyen served as Judicial Vicar for the Diocese of San Jose from 2001-2008 before being named Pastor of St. Patrick in 2008. He served in that capacity until 2011. Following a fire that destroyed the church in September of 2012, the parish was renamed and is now called Our Lady of La Vang. Monsignor Nguyen also served as Vicar for Vietnamese Ministry and Director of the Vietnamese Catholic Center from 2001 to 2011.
Monsignor Nguyen had requested and been granted a sabbatical, which began on July 1, 2011. Returning from his sabbatical, he was appointed as Parochial Vicar of St. Nicholas Parish on July 1, 2012. Then in October, 2012, the Diocese was contacted by the IRS. The IRS requested confidentiality on the part of the Diocese. Nguyen took a personal leave of absence from ministry on December 6, 2013.
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