Archbishop John Vlazny will ordain two priests on Saturday, June 7. The Mass of Ordination will take place at 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, NW 18th and Couch streets, in Portland. Those being ordained are Reverend Mr. Kenneth Scott Sampson and Reverend Mr. Luan Dihn Nguyen.

Reverend Mr. Kenneth Sampson was born in 1968 in Ronan, Mont. He is one of eight children of Charles and Joan Sampson. He attended elementary and secondary school in Ronan and graduated from Ronan High School in 1986. He attended Montana State University graduating with a bachelor of science degree in business and marketing in 1990 He worked in marketing and as an English teacher for a Japanese language company after college. He entered Mount Angel Seminary in the fall of 1998 and earned a master of arts degree in theology in 2007 and a master of divinity degree in 2008.

His ministry training experiences have included work at MacLaren Youth Corrections facility in Woodburn, St. Joseph Parish in Salem working with the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, in the Portland AIDS Ministry, clinical pastoral education at the Veteran’s Hospital in Seattle, and a pastoral year at St. Mary’s Cathedral Parish in Portland. He has also spent time as a Boy Scout chaplain, and served at Mount St. Joseph in San Jose, Calif. Rev. Mr. Sampson was ordained a transitional deacon by Archbishop Vlazny in May 2007. He has spent his diaconate year assisting weekends at St. Cecilia Parish in Beaverton.

Rev. Mr. Luan Nguyen was born in 1968 in Saigon, Vietnam. He is one of 11 children of Had Van Nguyen and Tue Thi Nguyen. Luan attended elementary and secondary schools in Saigon, graduating with a secondary degree in 1986. He attended Portland State University graduating with a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering. Rev. Mr. Nguyen entered Mount Angel Seminary in the fall of 2000.
There he earned a master of divinity degree in 2008.

His ministry training has included experiences at St. Joseph Parish in Salem assisting with religious education, pastoral ministry at the MacLaren Youth Correctional facility in Woodburn, clinical pastoral education at St. Peter Providence Hospital in Olympia, Wash., and a pastoral training year at St. John the Baptist Parish in Milwaukie. He was ordained a transitional deacon by Archbishop Vlazny in May 2007. He has spent his diaconate year assisting weekends at Queen of Peace Parish in Salem.

Future parish assignments for the two have not yet been announced.