Rev. Linh Nguyen: To Dot from Randolph
A 44-year-old native of Vietnam who settled in Dorchester as a teenager will become the new pastor of St. Mark’s and St. Ambrose parishes this June — while two other veteran priests will stay in Dorchester— under a managerial shuffle announced last weekend.

The shift marks a milestone in the neighborhood’s Catholic community: Rev. Linh Nguyen will be the first Vietnamese-American man to lead a Dot parish.

The news is not unexpected. The archdiocese of Boston has been planning to name new pastors this year as part of a system-wide consolidation effort aimed at streamlining the way parishes are administered. Dorchester serves as a model for the pastoral reorganization plan, dubbed Disciples in Mission, a nine-year-old effort that links neighboring parishes under the umbrella leadership of one pastor.

Last year, in anticipation of the reorganization, all but one of the existing pastors at Dorchester’s Catholic parishes were all asked to resign their positions. (The exception was St. Brendan and St. Ann, which was recently joined under one administrator, Fr. Jason Makos, who began his ministry at the dual parish last year.) Each pastor could elect to re-apply for the position as pastor of one of the new collective parishes.

Fr. Jack Ahern, who has led the so-called “tri-parish” of Blessed Mother Teresa, St. Peter, and Holy Family, has been chosen to stay on as the pastor. Fr. Vincent Daily, currently the pastor at St. Gregory in Lower Mills will also remain in place, but will add two new parishes to his administrative duties: St. Matthew and St. Angela in Mattapan Square.

The new leader in the neighborhood, then, will be Fr. Nguyen, who will replace Fr. Dan Finn, who has served as pastor at St. Mark’s since 1993 while from time to time being asked to take on additional responsibilities for other parishes, first at St. Peter and then at St. Ambrose.

In an interview this week with the Reporter, Fr. Linh heaped praise on Fr. Finn, whom he met as a teenager going to church in Dorchester: “He’s a gentle soul and a great model for a pastor, really: to treat people like family and to be with them and not just as a pastor, but as friend and to journey with them at every moment of their life. He’s just a kind, gentle and a good priest.”

Fr. Finn’s reputation among with Catholics of all ethnicities along Dorchester Avenue and up into Meetinghouse Hill is legendary for the tirelessness and good will that he has shown through two decades of a dedicated ministry in church and on the streets involving three parishes in the latter stages of a transition from white, largely Irish congregations to multi-ethnic religious communities. A native of Cork, he also served over the years as a de facto chaplain to the Irish immigrant community in the city’s neighborhoods.

While he couldn’t be reached for comment this week, Fr. Finn, who recently beat back a debilitating illness, has told friends that while it might be time to leave St. Mark’s, he hopes he will be given the opportunity for further service in the city going forward.

Fr. Nguyen grew up in Dorchester after moving to the United States from Vietnam with his parents and four siblings at age 15. He was ordained in 2000 and has served as the pastor of St. Bernadette parish in Randolph for the last seven years.

“It’s kind of mixed emotions and kind of overwhelming,” said Fr. Linh of his appointment. “Of course, going to Dorchester is an exciting announcement for me, I’m just going home.”

Nguyen’s parents still live on Gallivan Boulevard near St. Brendan’s church and he celebrated his first Mass as a priest at St. Ambrose, a church on Adams Street with a large Vietnamese congregation. He attended St. Peter’s church as a teenager and studied at Cathedral High School in the South End before entering the seminary.

Fr. Linh says he has been ministering to a large and diverse parish in Randolph that includes many Vietnamese and Haitian families. “I’ve told them so many times that I’m ordained to serve all people, not just the Vietnamese community. I’m there to help the archdiocese to grow and bring all people together, not just a Vietnamese ministry. But of course, I hope they feel excited, the same way I feel and we’ll be able to work well together. I’ll be able to communicate to them in their own native tongues and have an understanding of their faith.”

Fr. Daily, who has led St. Gregory’s parish since 2006, said he “couldn’t be happier” with his re-appointment. “I thought I might be assigned back to the suburbs, but I’m just thrilled with this decision and I’m very much looking very much forward to taking on St. Angela and St. Matthew.

Fr. Ahern, who said he is “happy” to be staying on as the leader of the tri-parish, called Fr. Linh a “great choice.”

“He did a fabulous job in Randolph. The difficulty of the announcement is that two great guys have chosen to move on. Fr. Finn and Fr. Joy have both served in the city for a long, long time.”