Ex-seminarian first Vietnamese-American in Congress

CathNewsUSA ^ | December 09, 2008

[GonzoII]

A member of Mary Queen of Vietnam Parish in New Orleans, Cao told The Associated Press that his run for political office was motivated by his Catholic faith. "It was something that I was called to do, literally, in the religion sense," he said.

[GonzoII]

Ex-seminarian first Vietnamese-American in Congress

Published: December 09, 2008

Louisiana's Anh "Joseph" Quang Cao, a 41-year-old Republican and ex-Jesuit seminarian, has become the first Vietnamese-American member of Congress.

Catholic News Service reports that Mr Cao defeated Democratic Rep. William J. Jefferson in a Dec. 6 runoff election to represent Louisiana's 2nd District. Jefferson had held the seat since 1991, and no Republican has represented the congressional district that includes New Orleans since 1890.

Cao, pronounced Gow, was named in January 2003 to a four-year term on the National Advisory Council to the U.S. bishops, a 63-member group of laymen and laywomen, religious men and women, diocesan priests and bishops that meets twice a year to review documentation and offer recommendations on matters before the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

A member of Mary Queen of Vietnam Parish in New Orleans, Cao told The Associated Press that his run for political office was motivated by his Catholic faith.

"It was something that I was called to do, literally, in the religion sense," he said.

According to a biography on his campaign Web site, Cao was born in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam, the fifth of eight children. He came to the United States in 1975 at the age of 8 and settled in the Houston area. He graduated from Jersey Village High School in Houston and earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, in 1990.

Cao spent the next six years as a Jesuit seminarian, beginning his studies for the priesthood in Louisiana and eventually earning a master's degree in philosophy from Fordham University in New York in 1995. A year later, after returning to New Orleans to teach philosophy and ethics at Loyola University, he left the Society of Jesus and taught at a parochial school in Virginia.

While living in Virginia, Cao became involved as a volunteer with Boat People SOS, a national community-based organization working to help Vietnamese immigrants around the country. He served as a board member of the organization from September 1996 to March 2002.

He returned to New Orleans in September 1997 to study law at Loyola School of Law. After earning his law degree in 2000, Cao joined Waltzer & Associates, a law firm working primarily with Vietnamese-American homeowners and fishermen in eastern Louisiana. He left the firm to become in-house counsel for Boat People SOS and to open a New Orleans affiliate office.

His home and law office both were destroyed in Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. His office took three months to repair, his home a year and a half.

More at Catholic News Service

[incredulous joe]

Very cool.

Was kind of hoping for Michael Steele.

But we’ll take it.

[GonzoII]

Joseph, stay on the narrow path up there in D.C.!

God Bless!

[incredulous joe]

ehm,...Steele is an ex-seminarian? Not of Vietnamese descent.

My bad.

[incredulous joe]

Trying.

Not too crowded ~ unlike the “Highway to Hell”. ;0)

[GonzoII]

“But we’ll take it.”

—

I hear the Vietnamese, in general, tend conservative?

[GonzoII]

Joe! I was talking about Joe!

[trisham]

What a resume!

[incredulous joe]

I hear ya. “Joe” is who I gotta take care of.

[Hot Tabasco]

I am forever amazed at the success stories of the Vietnamese who fled here as well as the successes of their children.

My nephew's best friend, both of whom are now doctors by the way, arrived here as a baby in the 70's when his parents settled in North Dakota.

A friend of mine's girlfriend was a teenager when she and her family fled Vietnam in the 70's and her son is now a producer with The Discovery Channel and he had the good fortune of being sent to China for the olympics.

Just good, hardworking people......

[GonzoII]

Just good, hardworking people......

—

God bless ‘em.

[Tax-chick]

Maybe you were thinking about the RNC chairmanship? I think that’s still up in the air. Mr. Cao has been elected to Congress.

[incredulous joe]

No, I saw the “ex-seminarian” in the headline.

Steele studied in an Augustinian Seminary for several years.

[Tax-chick]

Oh, I see. I didn’t know Mr. Steele had been in seminary. Clarence Thomas attended a seminary for a time, as well.

[incredulous joe]

Didn’t know that.

I really think we’re going to like Congressman Cao. I hope the folks in LA do, as well.

[Tax-chick]

Mr. Cao seems very well qualified. What his constituents will think in two years ... who knows? They elected “Cold Cash” Jefferson umpteen times.

[little jeremiah]

bookmark.