From refugee to agent of God's love
Obituaries
Fr Toan (Peter) Nguyen OP: Born August 16 1957, died October 18 2025
Fr Peter’s life as a Dominican priest spanned almost 35 years, most recently as chaplain at Blackfriars Priory School and leader of the North Adelaide-based St Laurence’s Priory.
His ordination on October 5 1991 capped a remarkable journey to the priesthood, beginning when he was a child growing up in Saigon, Vietnam.
The young Toan Nguyen had been in close contact with the Order of Preachers during his high school years and his great-uncle, a significant role model in his life, was a Dominican.
But it was a perilous journey across the sea, arriving in Australia as a refugee in 1981 at the age of 24, that solidified his call to the priesthood.
Speaking to Perth Catholic publication The Record in 2015, Fr Peter said having life and death “separated by a piece of wood” confirmed his desire to offer his life to God.
Tragically, Fr Peter’s younger brother later drowned trying to make the same crossing to Australia.
“My journey at sea is very close to my heart,” Fr Peter said in 2015.
“Only when we are at the bottom of our life do we realise why we should be God’s agents of love and mercy. Australia is a lucky country, and this is great, but, at the same time, we need to realise that we are God’s creatures and without God’s mercy and forgiveness it is hard for us to show mercy and love to the people around us.”
After some contact with the Dominicans in Adelaide, Fr Peter went to Canberra to study English with a group of novices and then to Melbourne to begin his formation as a Dominican.
“Initially, there were seven postulants in my group, but by the end of our formation I was the only one and received priestly ordination,” he recalled in 2015.
“My parents, my two sisters and one brother attended the event. Looking at my history, I decided that ‘God is our refuge’ would be the motto of my ordination.”
Fr Peter went on to serve in St Benedict’s parish, Auckland (New Zealand), from 1991 to 1993, and then in St Dominic’s parish, Melbourne, for another two years.
In 1995 he was appointed to Our Lady of Graces in Brisbane where, in 1998, he was celebrated as being the first Vietnamese parish priest in Queensland.
In 2005, he returned to Adelaide as parish priest at St Laurence’s, North Adelaide, and Our Lady of the Rosary, Prospect, and was chaplain at Blackfriars in 2008 and 2009, before heading to Perth.
Over the years, Fr Peter remained true to his Vietnamese roots, regularly visiting his homeland to support the marginalised, including those affected by leprosy. He also championed a project to deliver clean drinking water to villagers.
Fr Peter had a Bachelor of Theology, a Master of Arts with a major in theology and a Master of Social Sciences with a major in counselling.
“As Dominicans, we are called the Order of Preachers. This means we devote our lives to studying and discovering the truth so that we can deliver a message of hope to the people,” Fr Peter said in 2015.
“St Dominic was a very down-to-earth preacher who was in direct contact with people.
“As Dominicans, we follow his example by meditating on both the Gospel and what is happening in the society in order to make our preaching relevant to the lives of those whom we encounter.”
Fr Peter’s death came after a battle with blood cancer and only months after the passing of his father, aged 103.
Blackfriars Principal David Ruggiero said Fr Peter faced his illness with “remarkable faith and grace”.
“His warmth, kindness and gentle spirit touched the lives of so many within our Blackfriars community,” Mr Ruggiero said.
“He reminded us, through his words and example, of the peace and love of Christ in our daily lives.”
Assistant principal: Religious Identity & Mission Angela Collins said Fr Peter was “unassuming, patient and generous-of-spirit”.
“Fr Peter was a blessing among us and I am forever grateful to have known him,” Ms Collins said.
“His preaching to the younger students in particular was such a gift, as he had this amazing capacity to break open the Gospel using age-appropriate concepts and images. He will be missed.
