Father Joseph Son Nguyen to succeed Father Caboboy
HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC CHURCH
Father Joseph Son Nguyen has been named to succeed Fr. Juan Caboboy at Holy Family Parish, where he feels close to home.
Father Joseph grew up in west-central Orange County, California, and graduated valedictorian from La Quinta High School in Westminster in 1981. In college he received the invitation to priestly formation by the first Bishop of the Diocese of Orange William Johnson, and went on to receive a bachelor’s in liberal studies (philosophy, psychology and music). He also received a master’s in divinity degree and a master’s in religion from St. John’s College/Seminary in Camarillo. Father Joseph was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Orange in 1989. He then served the parishes of Holy Spirit in Fountain Valley, St. Boniface in Anaheim, St. Nicholas in Laguna Woods, St. Mary’s in Fullerton and St. Irenaeus in Cypress. He became the final pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Santa Ana in 2004, and then became the founding pastor of Our Lady of La Vang Church in Santa Ana in 2006.
In 2004, while serving the Diocese of Orange under Bishop Todd Brown, Father Joseph earned a doctorate in moral theology, specializing in bio-medical ethics, from Santa Clara University’s Jesuit School of Theology. He continued post-doctorate studies at St. Joseph Hospital’s Clinical Pastoral Education and became a board-certified chaplain. From 2009-2018 he taught medical ethics while leading the spiritual care service at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine & Medical Center.
Father Joseph is fond of nature and gardening, loves life and tinkers with everything. He enjoys the arts, plays musical instruments and studies languages. Along the way, he has been a musician, custodian, photographer, newsletter editor, machinist, city yard worker and chamber of commerce administrative assistant. There is nothing he loves more than to be a priest of Christ, serving God’s people. His main goal is to help people come to a loving relationship with Jesus Christ.
