A portrait of Father Khanh Pham-Nguyen was placed at the entrance of Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Honolulu Aug. 1 as parishioners gathered for a memorial Mass. (Courtesy Dann Ebina)
By Celia K. Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Father Khanh Pham-Nguyen’s unwavering faith in God carried him across the sea more than 40 years ago from Vietnam to a refugee camp in the Philippines, and later gave him the fortitude to successfully pursue an expansion project for Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Honolulu, the parish he shepherded for more than a decade.
On July 27, not long after completing another journey — a historic pilgrimage through Portugal and Spain — Father Pham-Nguyen died peacefully in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was 60 years old.
Father Pham-Nguyen experienced health complications after finishing the 150-mile pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago (“The Way of St. James”), traveling from Portugal to Spain. He was visiting family in Albuquerque when he was hospitalized.
At a memorial Mass Aug. 1 for Father Pham-Nguyen at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Msgr. Gary Secor offered condolences to parishioners on behalf of the Diocese of Honolulu — “we share in your sorrow, your grief and your shock at Father Khanh’s sudden passing.”
“We all share in this sadness, but we are a people of faith,” said Msgr. Secor, who presided at the Mass on behalf of Bishop Larry Silva (who was feeling under the weather but, Msgr. Secor noted, was celebrating Mass in his personal chapel concurrently with the Sts. Peter and Paul community). “We are people of hope and we know that Father Khanh is at peace with the Lord.”
Msgr. Secor highlighted Father Pham-Nguyen’s “life-giving” leadership and dedication to his parishioners wherever he served — prior to Sts. Peter and Paul, he was pastor of the formerly clustered Blessed Sacrament and St. Stephen churches in Honolulu, as well as St. John Vianney Church in Kailua.
“Father Khanh, with great faith and trust in God, believed that (Sts. Peter and Paul) needed to step out in faith and extend itself” by growing its physical footprint, Msgr. Secor said.
That goal was realized nearly five years ago with the acquisition of a building adjacent to the semicircular church on Kaheka Street, near Ala Moana Center. The additional space will allow the church to expand its programs, ministries and community outreach.
“And now,” Msgr. Secor said, “we believe that God has given Father Khanh the reward for his faithfulness.”
In comments to the Hawaii Catholic Herald, Bishop Silva noted that Father Pham-Nguyen “made many personal sacrifices” to help secure the building.
“He led the parishioners in taking the risks necessary to provide for the future well-being of the parish, even though there were sacrifices to make in the short term,” Bishop Silva added.
“His sudden and unexpected death was a great shock to us, and I assure his parishioners of my prayers during this time of mourning,” he said.
From darkness to light
Father Pham-Nguyen was born in Vietnam on Feb. 3, 1965. He was the youngest of eight children in his family.
At age 16, he and a brother fled Vietnam on a fishing boat.
“For seven days and nights, we floated toward the east,” Father Pham-Nguyen recalled in a reflection written for the Hawaii Catholic Herald on the occasion of his 25th jubilee in 2022. “Being aware of approaching death amid the vast ocean, I bargained with God that if he would give me life, then mine would be his forever.”
According to Father Gregorio Honorio, vicar for clergy, Father Pham-Nguyen then lived in a refugee camp in the Philippines before relocating to Houston, Texas, in 1982, with his brother.
After graduating from high school, Father Pham-Nguyen wrote in his jubilee reflection, “it was God who found and reminded me of the promise made on the boat.
“It was as if the light had gone on inside me.”
Father Pham-Nguyen attended Seton Hall University in New Jersey and worked on his seminary studies in Denver, Colorado, and St. Paul, Minnesota, completing his formation in St. Paul before being ordained a priest in the Diocese of Colorado Springs in 1997.
He came to Hawaii in 2004 and was incardinated to the Diocese of Honolulu four years later.
Father Pham-Nguyen, left, and Bishop Larry Silva untied a maile lei at the front door of the church’s newly acquired building in a blessing ceremony four years ago. (HCH file photo / 2021)
Kind, devoted leader
His parishioners and brother priests remembered him as a humble leader who did all he could for the community — supporting the faithful in all aspects of their lives.
Father Khanh Hoang, who stepped in at Sts. Peter and Paul while Father Pham-Nguyen was away and has been named temporary administrator of the church, said his peer was “a quiet soul” who rarely spoke about himself, though his actions showed the depth of his faith and commitment.
They were friends for 37 years, Father Hoang said — “and with the same first name, people often (confused) us. I’ve always taken that as a compliment.”
“He (served) with humility, (prayed) with sincerity and (held) himself to a high standard in everything,” Father Hoang said.
“Through the years, his steady friendship and deep integrity have left a lasting mark on my life. I’m grateful for the journey we’ve shared.”
Father Honorio noted Father Pham-Nguyen’s deep faith and strong relationship with God, “as evidenced by his prayer life, devotion to Mass and leadership in Eucharistic adoration.”
Father Pham-Nguyen had a “compassionate heart,” bringing “the love and strength of Christ to those he (served) who are in need,” Father Honorio said.
A staff member at Sts. Peter and Paul — where Father Pham-Nguyen was appointed pastor in 2014 — offered examples of his service to his flock.
“He started many projects around the parish and tried his best to accommodate those who sought his guidance and ministry,” said the staff member, who asked not to be identified.
“Parishioners commented on how much he’s touched the lives of other parishioners, including visitors to our church. His presence will be greatly missed.”
Servant of Christ
One of those parishioners, Celeste Mendiola, cited the Olakino Produce Program that Father Pham-Nguyen helped initiate. The program provides fresh food to those in need, Mendiola said, and Father Pham-Nguyen would make deliveries if people could not pick up items themselves.
“He had a brown bag readily available to give to the homeless, quietly and consistently serving those on the margins,” Mendiola added. “He was a very approachable and comfortable person to talk to — humble and grounded.”
And “when a crisis happened, he would show up right away — without hesitation.”
Another Sts. Peter and Paul parishioner, Jenny Duhaylonsod Delos Santos, has been a recipient of Father Pham-Nguyen’s gentle and attentive care in times of great need.
He was “deeply moved” upon hearing of the deaths of Delos Santos’ two children five years ago, she said, and before he left for his pilgrimage last month he again demonstrated his compassion for his flock.
Delos Santos described collapsing at the parish’s feast celebration in June — “among the hundreds in attendance, it was Father Khanh who rushed to my side, knelt beside me and stayed with me until I could safely leave.”
“Before I left, he gently placed two plates of food in the car and asked if I was OK. It brought tears to my eyes,” she said.
“Even in his final days, Father Khanh lived as a servant of Christ — quietly, compassionately and full of heart.”
Funeral Mass will be Aug. 16
Services for Father Khanh Pham-Nguyen were held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, earlier this month. A private cremation service was held and his remains have been transferred to the Diocese of Honolulu.
His funeral Mass will take place at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 16 at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, followed by his burial in Kaneohe.
Priests from across the diocese gathered Aug. 1 for Father Khanh Pham-Nguyen’s memorial Mass at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Honolulu. (Courtesy Dann Ebina)