WHEN DR. VINCENT Nguyen and his wife Linh married in 1992 at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Westminster, he was a childhood immigrant from Vietnam, and she was a former Buddhist who converted to the Catholic faith. Together, they made a sacramental commitment to love and honor each other for as long as they both lived, to accept children lovingly from God, and to raise them according to the law of Christ and his Church.
DR. VINCENT NGUYEN AND HIS WIFE LINH WERE MARRIED IN 1992 AT BLESSED SACRAMENT CATHOLIC CHURCH IN WESTMINSTER. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE NGUYEN FAMILY
Like all marriages, the Nguyens have had challenges and also much joy, including three beautiful daughters, Victoria, Ashley and Elizabeth.
According to Dr. Nguyen, “A sacramental marriage is not between two people. It is a commitment between two people and God. I have always viewed our relationship with God as an equilateral triangle. We are each a point in that triangle; as we draw closer to God, the triangle becomes closer together. The covenant makes it special, forming a perfect triangle with equal sides. So, as my wife and I draw closer to God, we also draw closer to each other. It isn’t a perfect union, but we are working toward that, walking with my wife and God; we will come to a perfect point someday.”
Linh Nguyen added, “Vincent and I have always believed that our anniversary is more important than our birthdays, so we always celebrate. We believe it’s important to renew our vows, rekindle romance and thank God. Celebrating our marriage also shows our children that marriage is an important priority for us.”
Last year, the Nguyens visited Rome and met Sr. Suzanna, a lovely sister who worked at the Vatican. She suggested that the couple return to the Vatican to renew their wedding vows the following year. The Nguyens looked at each other and said, “We’ve got to go.”
The Nguyens, including their daughters and Victoria’s husband, Michael Muller, headed to Rome in June this year for the big day.
Sr. Suzanna made the arrangements for the June 25 Mass.
“It was an unbelievable opportunity,” recalled Linh.
The ceremony was held in the Basilica’s Chapel of the Choir (Cappella del Coro), which is often used for weddings. Its gilded stucco, marble and artwork sit at the confluence of Michelangelo’s Renaissance paintings and Domenico Fontana’s Baroque style.
Fr. Patrick Dorelus, from the Diocese of Brooklyn and currently taking past ordination studies in the Vatican, officiated at the Mass and renewal of vows. Within the breathtaking corner of St. Peter’s, Fr. Patrick celebrated a private Mass just for the Nguyens and their family in the chapel that could accommodate 300 people; no other couples were there. There was also an organist, singer and photographer present.
“The priest was wonderful,” recalled Linh. “When it was time for communion, our children all knelt respectfully before the priest to receive the body of Christ. Fr. Patrick said that seeing the children kneel to receive the Eucharist almost brought him to tears.”
Dr. Nguyen added, “We found it amazing that we were able to renew our vows in front of our children, who were obviously not there 32 years ago. Our children said the readings and prayers of the faithful, and Fr. Patrick gave a beautiful sermon. I am so grateful that we were able to celebrate our vows and marriage with our children and especially blessed that we were able to do it in the very home of the Catholic Church.”
He added, “I just feel like God is giving us blessings after blessings, and it makes us better Catholics. It helps us to be more humble and grateful because of this special gift from God for our family. I’m still on a high and do my work with more joy.”
Today, the Nguyens are members of Our Lady Queen of Angels parish in Newport Beach. Dr. Nguyen is the Program Medical Director of Palliative Care Services at Hoag Hospital. Linh Nguyen worked in her family’s denim manufacturing company but became a full-time mother when the children arrived.
The Church has always offered some form of marriage preparation to help young couples prepare for a lifetime commitment.
The Diocese’s Office of Family Life has introduced a new program called “Witness to Love,” which has an even better marriage success rate than prior programs. To learn more visit https://www.rcbo.org/ ministry/office-for-family-life/
According to Mark Gray, senior research associate for the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate’s (CARA) most recent public national poll about marriage and Catholics, CARA found that only 9% of all those who were married in the Catholic Church divorced. By comparison, of all those who had married but did so outside the Church, 30% had experienced divorce. Marriage outside the Church with convalidation (a later blessing by the Catholic Church) is also associated with a much lower likelihood of ever divorcing (4%).