WHO Are we?
Father Thé-Quang Nguyen
Thé-Quang Nguyen was born into a large family in Saigon, Vietnam. His father and two elder brothers were in the Nationalist Army during the war which was engineered by dirty politics. A politically designed peace brought the war to an end and left many people to suffer unnoticed.
Among the refugees who fled Vietnam was his father who came to settle in the UK in 1976. They were separated for nine years before they were sponsored by the British government to be united in 1984.
As a teenager, Thé-Quang settled in Birmingham to continue his secondary education. The loss of his grandparents, parents and siblings put him,as a live witness to the suffering of his people and his family, in pursuit for meaning of life.
He abandoned his degree study and started the training at St Mary’s College, Oscott. Thanks to the inspiration and support of the many heroes in his life, including his family, his priest uncle (Fr Luke Pham Tuan Khanh), Fr Gregory Winterton (RIP), Fr Jerry O’Flynn (RIP), and Fr Seamus Gilroy (RIP).
The training at Oscott was a perfect preparation before God sent his servant on mission. The way he handles this fragile creature of his was with the care he showed through the staff and the students in the college and the faithful in the parish placements.
By God’s grace Thé-Quang was ordained to the priesthood on 25th April 1998 at the church of Our Lady and St Gregory in Bearwood by Archbishop Maurice Couve de Murville. He was appointed as a curate at St Austin’s, Stafford where he was mentored by Fr Kevin Dunn (deceased) as Bishop of Newcastle upon Tyne) in school chaplaincy and parish pastoral care for three years.
After he saw Fr Dunn replaced by Fr Kieran Conry and then Fr David Evans, Thé-Quang was appointed Parish priest of St Anthony’s in Oxford where he inherited a vibrant parish of young families from Fr David Tams. It was his association with the nurses from abroad at John Radcliffe hospital that introduced him to Indian and Filipino food.
Having served in Oxford for five years, Thé-Quang was sent to the parish of Our Lady of the Angels and St Peter in Chains in Stoke-on-Trent where he made more friends with the artistic people of the potteries and the hospital staff, most of whom come mainly from India and the Philippine. During the nine years in Stoke, Thé-Quang enjoyed the love and support of the parishioners who contributed generously to the maintenance and improvements of the grade II listed Church.
As his confidence in working with young people grew through the occasional covers at Alton Castle, Thé-Quang was sent to replace Fr Frederick Sheldon at St Mary’s in Uttoxeter where he shared the work in Youth ministry with Fr Michael Dolman. The changes in the Diocese cut short his time in Uttoxeter to two years when he was sent to succeed Fr Michael Dolman as parish priest of St John’s and Chaplain to the Kenelm Youth Trust. In this new role, Thé-Quang had a privilege to work closely with the people who had a tradition of supporting the Priests and students at Cotton College. He also appreciated the community life with the volunteers who daily consecrated their work with the morning prayer of the Church.
As the Sacred Scriptures say: ‘There is time for everything’. Thé-Quang was honoured to be asked by Archbishop Bernard Longley to take on for the first time two parishes of Christ the King, Kingstanding and Our Lady of the Assumption, Maryvale in succession to Fr Eamon Corduff. It is very reassuring for Thé-Quang to learn from the parishioners in these two parishes and the three schools of the support they readily give to their parish priest.
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Sisters Minor of St. Francis
Sister Irene, Sister Michela,
Sister Miriam & Sr Catalina
Convent of the Sisters Minor of St Francis
192 Hawthorn Rd
Click on the photo to learn more about the Sisters Minor of St Francis
Deacon Gary O'Brien
Before being ordained Gary spent the best part of 20 years as a solicitor acting for large
commercial organisations. He managed a large team and, professionally, spent his working
days resolving disputes very often through mediation and negotiation.
He then went into
teaching for nearly 10 years, finishing up as a sixth form tutor and teacher in a Catholic
secondary school. His “teacher voice”, as some parishioners have called it, has come in very
handy when grappling with the eccentricities of our sound system at Christ the King.
It was in May 2016 that Gary first offered himself to the Permanent Diaconate. He had a
distinct experience of being called to do that whilst at a Life in the Spirit seminar at Oscott
College. He began the necessary five year preparation period in September 2016 and was
ordained on 4 th September 2021 as a permanent deacon.
His current degree course is not
about equipping him to be a priest. That is not on the agenda at all. It is about qualifying him
to do the full range of duties required of an official in the Marriage Tribunal. The Marriage
Tribunal is the official body within the Archdiocese that deals with marriage annulment after
a marriage has broken down.
Gary has actually been working as a tribunal official from day
one after his ordination but the completion of the degree will qualify him to be a judge of
the tribunal. At moment he can do everything but that role. So even after he graduates he is
still going to have to balance parish duties with this Tribunal role. However, with your
support and understanding, Gary has every confidence that between us and by the power of
God’s grace we will manage to make it work
You will find Gary mostly at Christ the King, although he does lend a hand from time to time at Our Lady of the Assumption.