By LEONARD GRAY

NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Archdiocese recently filled the priest vacancies in St. Charles Parish, with the assignments at St. Charles Borromeo and St. Gertrude the Great Catholic churches.

The Rev. Msgr. Henry Joseph “Father Harry” Bugler is the new pastor at St. Charles Borromeo in Destrehan. The 52-year-old is a native of Tipperary, Ireland.

The Rev. James Nguyen Bach, 49, is a native of Vietnam and was recently assigned to St. Gertrude in Des Allemands.

The clergymen succeed to the positions left vacant with the Dec. 7 deaths of Msgr. John Nguyen Phuc, 43, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Church since 1990, and the Rev. Benedict J. Quang, 37, pastor of St. Gertrude Church since 1999, whose bodies were found following a search when they disappeared during a fishing trip near Golden Meadow.

Rev. Bugler is retaining his position of directing the archdiocesan Vocation Office, which coordinates programs and events which foster vocations to the priesthood and religious life. He was ordained June 8, 1975 in Tipperary and relocated to an associate pastorate at St. James Major Catholic Church in New Orleans two months following his ordination.

For nearly 10 years, he served as pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Belle Chasse and his latest position was that of pastor at St. Rita Church in New Orleans.

He served as director of the Family Life Apostolate, then dean of the Algiers-Plaquemines Deanery before taking the directorship of the Vocation Office in July 1994 and becoming dean of the Uptown Deanery in December 1999. He was named a Prelate of Honor in September 1999. At St. Charles Borromeo, where he arrived Saturday, his office is half-filled with still-packed boxes of books. He was greeted by a welcoming banner with handwritten greetings by the middle school students.

“It’s a wonderful parish, very warm,” he said.

He praised Rev. Phuc’s “tremendous ability and great energy,” and he pointed out the untimely death of the church’s pastor “can be a time of grace for them to reflect upon their own lives.”

So far, Bugler said, the welcome he has received has been “tremendous,” and said, “Father John left a very good structure here.”

He enjoys golf, reading and getting together with friends. At the conclusion of the interview, he pointed out one inscription a student left on the welcome banner, which read: “Top of the morning to you!”

Bach was ordained in June 1996 in New Orleans. After graduating high school in Vietnam, he attended Southwest Missouri State University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in psychology and Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, where he received his master’s degree in divinity.

He served as parochial vicar at several New Orleans area churches, including Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Belle Chasse, St. Louise de Marillac in Arabi, St. Joan of Arc in LaPlace, St. Christopher the Martyr in Metairie and St. Lawrence the Martyr in Metairie.

Rev. Bach admitted it was “difficult and sensitive” to come into the situation in Des Allemands, where his predecessor was so beloved.

However, he said, the transition is going “very smoothly.”

He commented, “Father Benedict and I were personal friends, and we shared our lives and dreams.”

Admittedly shy, he nevertheless has a bountiful sense of humor, which should put him in good with his parishioners.

“I’ve already felt the warmth and hospitality of this area very much,” he said.

One of the more difficult parts of coming into St. Gertrude is the pain felt by the children who sorely miss “Father Ben.”

“Some cry a lot about losing him,” he said, and he’s also heard, “That’s not Father Ben, that’s somebody else.”

But, in time, he hopes his own love of children will be evident and he will eventually gain their trust. In time, he hopes they will realize “I’m his successor, not a competitor.”

One thing which may help will be his own enjoyment in playing guitar and he is planning guitar classes.

“Coming here, everything reminds me of him,” Bach said of Rev. Quang. “He just left too quick.”