Rev. Than N. Vu
Deceased: 2015-01-28
Diocese: BATON ROUGE
Seminary Graduation Year: 1984
Very Rev. Than Ngoc Vu, a pastor of 30 years in the Diocese of Baton Rouge, died early Wednesday morning at the age of 56 after a long battle with cancer.
By the time of his death, he had preached at churches across the Baton Rouge area, including Christ the King Catholic Church on LSU’s campus — and in his role as vicar general, he was also Bishop Robert Muench’s closest adviser, church officials said
Vu was born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on May 4, 1958, according to a diocese news release — just weeks after his father passed away, according to a 2009 story in the Catholic Commentator. Most of his family fled Vietnam in 1975 amid the turmoil of the war’s end, and arrived in the U.S. when Vu was a teenager. Though they initially landed in Niceville, Florida, his family was recruited to the Baton Rouge area when a church official learned of Vu’s interest in joining the seminary, said Kathy Screen, a friend of Vu’s for 25 years and St. Aloysius’ director of spiritual growth.
After seminary, Vu worked in New Orleans so he could shed the “Shakespearean English” he learned from seminary and “adjust to the vernacular of the Big Easy,” the Rev. Jamin David, an Albany priest, remembers him saying.
Vu ultimately spent 30 years at Baton Rouge area churches. Those included St. Jean Vianney Catholic Church in Baton Rouge, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Denham Springs, St. Theresa Catholic Church in Gonzales, St. Patrick Catholic Church in Baton Rouge, St. Aloysius Church and Christ the King Catholic Church on LSU’s campus
A service will be held at Christ the King Catholic Church in Baton Rouge at 7:30 p.m. Friday with visitation to follow. Visitation continues on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at St. Aloysius Church, with the funeral Mass to follow, celebrated by Bishop Muench.
