Dearest staff and parishioners of the St Joseph family,

My name is Father Thi Van Hoang, and I am excited to begin serving as your pastor. I’d like to share a brief biography with you:

I was born in Hai Duong, North Vietnam, on January 2, 1977. I have two brothers and three sisters, and my parents and siblings are all farmers. My family is Catholic and very active in our local parish.

Growing up as an altar boy, I felt an early call to serve our Lord as a priest. After high school, I applied to my home Diocese of Haiphong and was accepted. I was then sent to study in Saigon, South Vietnam, from 1996 to 2003.

After college, I initially felt that the priestly vocation was not the right fit for me. I worked as a journalist for “Le Courrier du Vietnam” at the Vietnam News Agency for over a year. I then quit my job after being diagnosed with cancer. During my year of treatment and full recovery, I felt God calling me back to His service. I reapplied to my home Diocese for priestly vocation in August 2006, and was sent to the United States to continue my studies.

I studied philosophy for two years at Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon. In August 2008, I transferred to St. Patrick’s Seminary and University in Menlo Park, California, to study theology. After five years of formation at St. Patrick’s Seminary, I was ordained to the Order of Priesthood on May 18, 2013, by Archbishop Alexander Brunette at the Cathedral of Christ the Light for the Diocese of Oakland.

My first assignment as a parochial vicar was at St. Joseph Basilica Parish in Alameda, where I served for three years. In July 2016, I was assigned to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in San Lorenzo, also as a parochial vicar, for two years. Bishop Barber then called me to be the parochial administrator at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Pittsburg, where I served for seven years, from August 2018 to August 2025.

On August 1, 2025, I will begin my assignment as pastor of the family of St. Joseph. I am delighted and look forward to serving you. Together, we will live out Christ’s mission through works of faith, charity, and mercy.

Sincerely Yours in Christ,

Fr. Thi Van Hoang
Pastor of St. Joseph Mission