The newly elected Provincial Council begins its term on August 1; it includes two SCJs from the previous council.
Fr. Francis Vu Tran, SCJ, was the first to be elected. Born in Vietnam, he is 48, professed his first vows in 1998 and was ordained to the priesthood in 2005. Fr. Francis is currently associate pastor at St. Martin of Tours parish in Franklin, WI. Previously he has served as district superior of Vietnam (two terms, ending in 2022), and has taught at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology. He is also the local superior of the St. Joseph Community at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake.
Fr. Quang Nguyen, SCJ, returns to the council after having served as vice-provincial during Fr. Ed Kilianski’s administration. Originally from Vietnam, Fr. Quang, 60, professed his first vows in 1995 and was ordained to the priesthood in 2000. He has served in parish ministry in Texas, New York, and California, and as province Vocation Director. He was also superior of the Sacred Heart Community at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake. Currently, he is a campus minister at the University of Houston.
Dn. David Nagel, SCJ, served on Fr. Vien’s first council. He is 74, was professed in 1972 and ordained to the diaconate in 2003. Currently province treasurer, Dn. David previously served as executive director of St. Joseph’s Indian School, and on the formation team. He has also been active with the Dehonian Associates Committee and has served on the General Finance Commission.
Like Dn. David, Fr. Rafael Querobin, SCJ, served on the Provincial Council during Fr. Vien’s first term. Originally from Brazil, Fr. Rafael is 45, professed his first vows in 2001 and was ordained to the priesthood in 2007. Until recently he was pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Houston parish. In June he moved to Milwaukee to start his new assignment with the province formation program. He is originally from Brazil.
Fr. Hendrik (“Ardi”) Ardianto, SCJ, was the fifth and final member elected to the Provincial Council for the 2025-28 term. Originally from Indonesia, Fr. Ardi, 35, came to the US Province in the spring of 2019 to study English in Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology‘s ECS program. He then served briefly in South Dakota before joining the pastoral team that ministers to six parishes in northern Mississippi; he currently serves as moderator of the team. Fr. Ardi entered the minor seminary in 2004, professed vows in 2010 and was ordained as a priest in 2018.
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