WASHINGTON — Pope Francis has appointed Father John-Nhan Tran, a priest in the Archdiocese of New Orleans and pastor of Mary Queen of Peace in Mandeville, Louisiana, as auxiliary bishop of Atlanta.
Bishop-designate Tran, 56, was born in Vietnam and escaped with his family to the United States after the Vietnam War as a refugee when he was 9. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1992.
His appointment was announced Oct. 25 in Washington by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Vatican nuncio to the United States.
The bishop-designate attended Don Bosco College in Newton, New Jersey, and St. Joseph Seminary College in St. Benedict, Louisiana. He earned a master of divinity in theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans.
He has served at eight parishes in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
A description about him on his parish website said: “He is grateful for our generous parishioners and seeks always to bring each of us closer to the Lord. As he would say: ‘When someone encounters you, does he/she encounter Christ?’ ”
The Archdiocese of Atlanta has a total population of 7.7 million, which includes 1.2 million Catholics.
Wishing the Reverend John-Nhan Tran and his flock divine blessings.