Though the University shepherd can no longer tend his flock, the Rev. Than Ngoc Vu’s teachings remain eternal on the University’s ever-changing pastures.
The Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge announced early Wednesday the death of former Christ the King Church pastor Vu, 56, after a long battle with cancer.
Vu was the pastor of St. Aloysius Church in Baton Rouge. He was also the diocesan vicar general and moderator of the curia, holding the second-highest position in the diocese. His roles required him to assist the bishop in administrative governance over the diocese. He previously served as pastor of Christ the King Church and Student Center for 13 years.
“It’s a big loss for the diocese, really, because he was a good leader. So the diocese has a big hole,” said the Rev. Bob Stine.
In a recent email to St. Aloysius parishioners, Vu said he would leave his life in God’s hands.
“Our lives are in God’s hands, and we can only trust in the promise of our faith God,” he said in the email.
Catholic High School teacher and University alumna Nancy Herin said her time at the University was shaped by her days at Christ the King with Vu.
“He had a personality that you couldn’t help but be drawn to, and he was perhaps one of the smartest, funniest men I’ve ever met in my life. And often times, his wit was at my expense,” she said. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without him. I owe him so much.”
Herin said Vu never talked down to parishioners as if he were better than them.
His approach was gentle and down-to-earth, humanizing the role of priest for Herin and many of her friends.
“My favorite quote from him to start off a homily was, ‘I feel like a mosquito in a nudist camp — I don’t know where to start,’” she said.
Stine described Vu as warm, loving and committed to the Church. Stine replaced Vu as pastor of Christ the King but worked with him for years before.
He said Vu could read a Gospel passage once and recite it from photographic memory. Vu spoke several languages and taught a course at an Ivy League school for a semester, yet lived a simple life.
Stine once asked if he had a different jacket from the one he always wore, but Vu said he only needed one.
“Very brilliant, very intelligent but at the same time down to earth. He was a very spiritual person detached from worldly goods,” Stine said.
Jenny Moore, bookkeeper at Christ the King, said Vu comforted her when her husband died eight years ago. She also said his humor was as evident as his love for children.
“A very dear friend. He was not only my boss, he was my friend too. [A] good listener,” Moore said. “He was just an amazing person.”
Mechanical engineering senior Landon Stevens said the first homily he heard from Vu, which began with a joke about a priest and a robber, is the one most important to him.
It encouraged parishioners to never judge one another.
Stevens enjoyed his masses so much that when Vu transferred to St. Aloysius Church, Stevens switched as well. There he became involved with youth ministry — all of which he owes to Vu, he said.
“It’s kind of God’s way of saying, here, follow this great man. And I followed him, and I got into a great ministry,” Stevens said.
A Vietnam native, Vu entered the seminary because “it sounded like fun,” but after one year Communists from the North invaded the South, Vu and his family ended up in the U.S.
As one of 10 families sponsored by the diocese, they settled in Baton Rouge.
Despite his poor English, Vu was encouraged to continue his studies at St. Joseph Seminary College, where he spent three years before taking one year off to work.
A vigil service will be held at Christ the King Church on Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m. Visitation will be Jan. 31 from 9-11 a.m. at St. Aloysius Church followed by the funeral Mass presided over by Bishop Robert W. Muench at 11 a.m. Burial services will be at Roselawn Memorial Park.

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Courtesy of The Catholic Commentator

Rev. Than Ngoc Vu formerly preached at Christ the King Catholic Church on the University's campus.