Fr. Peter Linh Nguyen, C.Ss.R., was raised in Vietnam, one of six siblings, three of whom pursued religious vocations. Fr. Peter became a Redemptorist priest, his sister joined the Sisters of the Lover of Holy Cross, and his only brother embraced life as a Trappist monk.

In 2010, Fr. Peter moved to the United States to continue his studies in Boston. By 2014, he was ordained and assigned to serve at the National Shrine of St. John Neumann in Philadelphia. Five years later, in 2019, he relocated to Washington, DC, to take on the role of co-Vocations Director for the Baltimore Province.

Four years into his doctoral program, Fr. Peter is more than halfway through his studies and actively developing his doctoral project titled: Creating a Framework to Integrate Catholic Social Teaching into Parish Ministry: Enhancing Awareness and Engagement.

Catholic Social Teaching (CST) provides a framework for understanding and addressing social issues through the lens of the Gospel and the Church’s teachings. However, as noted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2011, “despite these significant and ongoing efforts, our social heritage is unknown by many Catholics. Sadly, our social doctrine is not shared or taught in a consistent and comprehensive way in many of our schools, seminaries, religious education programs, colleges, and universities.” 

“Catholic Social Teaching is a treasure of the Church. It is the wisdom of the Church rooted in Scripture,” Fr. Peter explained. “It provides guidance to evangelize and address social issues, showing how to live Gospel values in the real world. Unfortunately, CST is often neglected and left as an unread book on a shelf. I am working to promote it, especially in today’s society, where the call for social justice is more pressing than ever.”

Reflecting on the significance of CST, Fr. Peter remarked, “If we truly understand, it changes our mentality, deepens our knowledge, and inspires us to act. This transformation begins with ourselves, then extends to our families, parishes, and eventually the broader community.”

To assess the workshops’ impact, Fr. Peter distributed a pre-survey to participants before the sessions and post-survey after the sessions. The surveys included questions about their Christian lives, understanding of Catholicism, familiarity with CST, and attitudes toward helping others—establishing a baseline for each individual.

“This project has been transformative for me as well,” Fr. Peter reflected. “As Redemptorists, our charism is ‘Preaching the Good News to the poor and most abandoned.’ I feel that the teachings in this workshop align perfectly with that mission. From Saint Alphonsus to all our saints, and through our traditions of working with the poor, this project has deepened my understanding of Redemptorist spirituality. I believe this program could be a valuable tool for our Partners in Mission and my own missions, teaching others how they can become more actively involved in Redemptorist work serving others especially those who are poor and abandoned.”

Fr. Peter expressed his hopes for a broader impact, saying, “I truly hope parishes begin to pay closer attention to Catholic Social Teaching and consider implementing this program as a way to reinvigorate their mission. It’s an opportunity for parishioners to learn something new and feel inspired to live out their faith in tangible ways.”

He continued, “In the final section, we’ll focus on evangelization and CST in action—how to integrate these principles into daily life. It’s about practicing what the participants learned through the workshop. For example, put in action what you experience at Mass: looking at each other, welcoming the stranger, embracing the newcomer, and getting involve in parish outreach programs. These actions come from a profound belief in human dignity, and they reflect the Gospel in the real world.” †