Fr. Hao Dinh was ordained a priest in 1993 by Bishop Pierre DuMaine.   Since then, he has served as parochial vicar or pastor in eight different parishes, and dean of Deanery 5, encompassing nine parishes in the Cupertino-Saratoga-Campbel-Los Gatos area.

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Concurrently with his pastor's responsibilities at Ascension Parish (2019), he was also assisting Bishop Cantú in the Chancery as Vicar General (2019) and Chancellor (2020) until June 30, 2023.

 

He was born in Bien Hoa and grew up in Saigon, Vietnam. He is the youngest in a family of six.  His parents passed away in San Jose.  His siblings and their families reside in San Jose or Calgary, Canada.

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His journey to the priesthood began in 1969 when he entered St. Joseph’s Seminary in Saigon as a minor seminarian. It was on July 26, six days after the historic moon landing.  Setting foot in the seminary is not comparable to that event, but it was hugely significant to him.  Little did he know that the journey would take much longer than expected. It was because of the fall of Saigon to North Vietnam in 1975, which brought an end to the war but peace was not restored.  As a result, the priestly formation was disrupted and prolonged. Those who continued were faced with scrutiny and restrictions by the new government.

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After the seminary was shut down again in 1982 when he nearly finished his theology studies, he joined his parents and two brothers emigrating to Calgary, Canada in 1985.  Three years later he was admitted to St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park and was ordained a priest on May 15, 1993, exactly 24 years after passing the entrance examination at the seminary in Vietnam on May 15, 1969!

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When he began his seminary formation in 1969, he could never imagine becoming a priest in San Jose. It’s a journey that had many twists and turns and took much longer than expected, from Saigon to San Jose, from 1969 to 1993. It’s truly an adventure, and it’s more exciting than landing on the moon!