Bishop Richard F. Stika has appointed Father Dominic Nghia T.H. Nguyen, CRM, pastor of the Church of Divine Mercy in Knoxville.
Bishop Stika made the announcement on April 21 and said the appointment was effective immediately.
Bishop Stika said he will be installing Father Nguyen as the second pastor of the Divine Mercy parish on Sunday, June 11.
“I am pleased to appoint you pastor of Church of Divine Mercy in Knoxville, effective April 21, 2023. In accord with universal canon law (canon 522) and the USCCB’s final decree promulgated on September 24, 1984 (Prot. No. 3517/84/6), this appointment is for a five-year term. This five-year term may be renewed at the discretion of the Bishop of Knoxville and in consultation with your Provincial in Carthage, Missouri. Removal from this appointed office always remains at the will of the bishop (ad nutum episcope). With this letter, I also grant you the necessary faculties to fulfill this office and ministry. … Father Dominic, thank you for your willingness to serve in this new role. … Be assured of my continued prayers for you,” Bishop Stika wrote.
Father Nguyen is a member of the order of Clerics Regular Minor.
The beginning of Divine Mercy Parish goes back to the early 1990s, when an idea for a Vietnamese Catholic community in the Knoxville area was first mentioned.
The community got underway with a monthly Mass at Immaculate Conception before moving to Knoxville Catholic High School. Then in 2012, Bishop Stika announced to the community that it had its first permanent priest, Father Hoan Dinh, and a name: Divine Mercy Catholic Mission, with plans to relocate to their own place of worship.
Mass times were increased from twice a month to each Sunday, with daily Masses on Tuesday and Wednesday. By this time, the community had grown from about 35 members to about 400, or some 150 families.
On Nov. 17, 2013, Bishop Stika dedicated the Church of Divine Mercy, which is located at 10919 Carmichael Road, not far from the intersection of Lovell Road and Pellissippi Parkway.
Father Nguyen has served as parochial administrator of Divine Mercy since June 2019. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 6, 2009.
Church of Divine Mercy is the Diocese of Knoxville’s first Vietnamese Catholic community. A second Vietnamese Catholic community is being formed in Chattanooga.
Bishop Stika has celebrated Mass with the St. Faustina Public Association of the Faithful, which has been worshiping at Notre Dame High School since 2019, and has regular attendance of about 200 people.
Bishop Stika has said the St. Faustina community is working to formally establish a permanent place for Mass. Father Nick Tran serves as chaplain and moderator for the St. Faustina community.
