| Born in Vietnam, Bishop Tran and his family left their country empty-handed to become refugees to the United States following the Vietnam War. He attended high school in both New Orleans and New York, and then Don Bosco College in New Jersey.
He then returned to New Orleans, where he attended St. Joseph Seminary College and Notre Dame Seminary, graduating with a Master of Divinity in 1992. Shortly afterwards, he was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of New Orleans. He served there as a parochial vicar at four parishes and as a pastor of four parishes over the last thirty years.
Bishop Tran recalled his response to Pope Francis in an article in The Georgia Bulletin dated October 25, 2022. “The call I received from the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, left me speechless and with trepidation. After several days of prayer and trusting that God will provide, I was able to embrace the appointment by Pope Francis. I am indeed humbled to serve as Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Atlanta.”
He was ordained in the Archdiocese of Atlanta in January of 2023. He told Atlanta archdiocesan employees that he had “very little to offer” as a bishop. In an October 26, 2022 article he humbly expressed, “Taking on the new role as a bishop is not a reward, nor makes me a better person or more faithful.”
“God called me not because I’m better than anybody else, but because I’m a sinner and perhaps more sinful than others. And yet I believe that God calls.” |
