Fr Thang was born in Vietnam as the second of eight children, with most of his family now residing in Montreal, Canada, home to the world’s largest Shrine of St. Joseph. After spending three years at Phanat Nikhom refugee camp in Thailand, he moved to Australia in 1990 and completed his education at Braybrook Secondary College and Monash University.

Before entering the Seminary in 2002, he worked for several years at Colonial Mutual and Commonwealth Bank. Ordained for the Archdiocese of Melbourne in 2008 at the age of 35, Fr Thang has served in Flemington, Kensington, Ivanhoe, and Hoppers Crossing.

From 2016 to 2022, he served as the Director of Ministry to Priests and, from 2022 to 2025, as the Coordinator of Retired Priests with the Clergy Life and Ministry Office. Fr Thang is profoundly grateful and blessed by the contribution and leadership of the Franciscan Friars over nearly 50 years. He is humbly given the privilege of serving three diverse and dynamic communities and two primary schools in Springvale and Dingley, where faith, education, devotion and tradition thrive in a multicultural environment. Your prayers for him are greatly appreciated as he continues his priestly ministry.

Thank you!

GREETINGS everyone! My name is Huy Nguyen, and I am delighted to join the Springvale Parish community as your new Assistant Priest. It is a joy to share a little about myself with you.

I was born and raised in Cam Duc, a small town near Nha Trang in the south-central region of Vietnam. I am the youngest of six children, with four brothers and one sister. My father was a teacher before becoming a family-run businessman, and my mother devoted herself to caring for our family as a homemaker.

Faith, family, and neighbourhood life were the heart of my upbringing. It was within this rich and nurturing environment that the seed of my priestly vocation quietly took root and grew.

This early calling became more concrete when I entered the minor seminary after high school, spending four years there in initial formation before preparing to enter the diocesan major seminary. However, as the saying goes, “God writes straight with crooked lines.” In 2015, I was invited to come to Australia to continue my priestly studies for the Archdiocese of Melbourne—an unexpected grace for which I remain deeply grateful.

After seven years of formation at Corpus Christi Seminary in Carlton, I was ordained to the priesthood in 2022 at St Patrick’s Cathedral by Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli.

My first appointment was at St Andrew’s Parish in Werribee. After nearly two years, I was assigned to St Mary of the Cross Parish in Mordialloc and Aspendale, where I served for just under fifteen months. And now, God has led me here—to the wonderful and vibrant community of Springvale Parish.

My hobbies are reading, swimming, and playing table tennis.

I look forward to getting to know each of you and to walking together in faith, as we continue to be “salt and light” for all people in our local area and beyond.

Thank you, and may God bless us all!