Abstract
The Catholic Church is the largest church all over the world and is also the largest one in the United States (Pew Research Center, 2013). Over the past decades, great crises inside the Catholic Church have raised significant concerns for its leadership practices, especially for its governance and administration on the diocese and parish level. Moreover, the issue of immigrants also compounds the problem when there are different ethnic communities inside one single parish. In some dioceses like Orange County, which is one of the most culturally diverse dioceses in the United States (Diocese of Orange, 2018), the urgency of finding out the best practices of a Catholic priest has become more significant than ever. This is especially true for Vietnamese priests and communities. After the year 1975, millions of Vietnamese immigrated into the United States; many of them were Catholic believers (Alperin & Batalova, 2018). Hitherto, the Vietnamese Catholic community is one of the largest communities in the Diocese of Orange; nevertheless, knowledge or theories for effective pastoral ministries for this community has not been sufficiently explored. By means of the qualitative approach, this phenomenological study aimed at figuring out the best practices of Vietnamese Catholic priests leading Vietnamese Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Orange. Still, the ultimate purpose of this research was not a religion-oriented but an organization-oriented focus for better leadership. To fulfill this purpose, four research questions are used and addressed by 15 participants who are experienced and professional pastors at the local churches. They are deemed as experts in this study field. The findings of this research are expected to offer valuable insights and practical recommendations for future priests in leading multicultural parishes in the diocese of Orange.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Catholic Church—United States—Leadership; Vietnamese American Catholics—California—Orange County; Parishes—United States—Administration
Date of Award
2025
School Affiliation
Graduate School of Education and Psychology
Department/Program
Education
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctorate
Faculty Advisor
Farzin Madjidi
Recommended Citation
Nguyen, Phuc Viet, "Best practices of Vietnamese Catholic priests leading Vietnamese community parishes in Orange diocese" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 1658.
https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/1658