Rev. Linh Ngoc Bui

Father Linh Ngoc Bui, pastor of Saint Ann Catholic Church in Elgin and missions in Sterling and Apache, died Sept. 20 at OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City after suffering injuries from a fall at Saint Ann.

The vigil will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 25 at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Oklahoma City. The Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Sept. 26 at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Father Bui was known for his gentleness and kindness as a priest, particularly in the confessional. During Parish Penance Services, children would form lines stretching to the back of the church for the opportunity to confess with Father Bui.

He loved his parents dearly and made a point to spend as much time with them as possible. He and his family left Vietnam as refugees, and later as a priest, he welcomed and translated for Vietnamese immigrants.

While he was among the older men at seminary, he was among the fittest. He enjoyed playing sports, especially volleyball and soccer, and swam regularly. And others saw his competitiveness. He liked to win.

Father Bui was also an avid fisherman whose favorite fishing pal was his father. They enjoyed fishing together at Lake Overholser.

As a priest, Father Bui was beloved wherever his parish assignments took him, and he was admired and respected for his holiness and humility by clergy across the archdiocese.

Father Bui was born in Lam Dong, Vietnam, on May 16, 1969.

He was the son of Dong Bang and Ren Thi Bui. He is survived by his father and mother; his sister Monica and her son Brian; his brother Luan and wife Lan and their children Latricia and Lucian; brother Luong and wife Trinh; sister Tho and husband Loc and their children Richard, Angie, Ronald and April; and sister-in-law Mai Bui and her children Huyen and Vy. Father Bui was preceded in death by brother Duy.

In 1995, Father Bui attended Ho Chi Minh University of Education for three years, before arriving in the U.S. and from 2000 to 2003 attended Santa Ana College in California, where he earned an associate degree of arts, then attended California State University Long Beach from 2003 to 2005, earning a bachelor of science degree.

Father Bui, who had previously attended Minh Hoa Seminary in Vietnam, entered Conception Seminary College in Missouri in 2008, earning a bachelor's degree in philosophical and theological studies. In 2014, he earned a master’s degree in divinity from Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology.

On June 28, 2014, Father Bui was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Paul S. Coakley at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Oklahoma City.

He served as associate pastor at Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond, administrator at Saint Matthew Catholic Church in Elk City, associate pastor at Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Oklahoma City, while also serving as chaplain for Cristo Rey OKC Catholic High School. He became pastor at Saint Ann and its missions in 2023.