Atari console promise and daily Mass shaped Bishop Peter Dai Bui’s path to Phoenix leadership
A new auxiliary bishop for a fast-growing diocese
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix has added a second auxiliary bishop with the ordination and installation of Peter Dai Bui on Feb. 17, 2026, at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Avondale, Arizona. Bui will serve alongside Bishop John P. Dolan and Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares, who has held the auxiliary role since 2010.
Bui was appointed to the post on Dec. 19, 2025. The diocese has cited the need for additional episcopal support as the Catholic population in the Phoenix area surpasses two million, increasing the administrative and pastoral demands of one of the country’s largest dioceses.
From Vietnam to the United States, then to ministry
Bui was born on Jan. 11, 1970, on Phú Quốc Island, Vietnam. In 1977, he left the country with his family by boat as they fled religious and political oppression in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. The family ultimately resettled in New Orleans, Louisiana.
He was ordained to the priesthood on Dec. 24, 2003, and later moved into ministry in multiple settings. His record includes missionary work in South America and assignments in Arizona parishes after arriving in the Diocese of Phoenix in 2007. From 2011 to 2016 he worked at the Vatican as an official of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, a body associated with the Church’s humanitarian and disaster-relief efforts. In 2014, he received the title of monsignor.
The Atari story: a childhood bargain that became a routine
In a biographical account released ahead of his ordination, Bui described a formative episode from his childhood in New Orleans tied to an Atari video game console. He said he and his brothers frequently visited a friend’s home after school to play Atari. Wanting a console of their own, he made a private commitment: he would quietly leave home each morning to attend daily Mass before school if his family received an Atari console for Christmas.
That pledge, he has said, established a daily pattern of Mass attendance that became a lasting influence on his spiritual life and vocational direction. The episode has been presented as an example of how an ordinary childhood interest intersected with religious practice, eventually shaping a path toward priesthood and, later, episcopal leadership.
What his role includes
As auxiliary bishop, Bui is expected to assist with sacramental, pastoral, and administrative responsibilities across the diocese. He will also continue as vicar for clergy, a position he has held since 2022, focusing on the welfare, assignments, and support of diocesan priests.
- Appointed auxiliary bishop: Dec. 19, 2025
- Ordained and installed: Feb. 17, 2026
- Ordained a priest: Dec. 24, 2003
- Vatican service: 2011–2016
In remarks during the ordination liturgy, Bui thanked priests and lay Catholics for their prayers and asked for continued support as he begins his episcopal ministry.