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History
of Our Lady Of Viet Nam Parish
Tác Giả Ðỗ Hùng
-At
the end of 1975
there were only about 40 Vietnamese families in Washington DC. In
1976 the number of families increased to 180. Father Peter Long began
celebrating special Masses for the local Vietnamese refugees at the
Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington D.C. Later, Masses were held
at St. Camillus in Silver Spring. The number of families increased
to 230 and they needed a place of their own for religious and cultural
activities.
-21-Sep-1979. Cardinal William
Wakefield Baum signed an official paper granting the establishment
of Vietnamese Catholic Pastoral Mission and appointed father Peter
Nguyen Thanh Long as head of the Mission. At this time, the Masses
were held at numerous church in the are: St Jane de Chantal in Bethesda
, Saint Camillus in Silver Spring, Shrine of the Sacred Heart DC The
families were grouped by 8 zones and headed by a zone leader. There
were several organizations founded as Legio Marie, Cursillo, Knights
of Columbus, catechism and Vietnamese language classes.
-1986 with the assistance of the
archdiocese, 4.3 acres of land was bought and Masses were held at
a suburban house at 11812 New Hampshire Av.
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Rev.
Peter Nguyen Thanh Long, Pastor
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11812
New Hampshire Avenue (1886-2000)
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OLVN
- The 135th Parish 8-Apr-1990
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-8-Apr-1990, Cardinal James Hickey
officially changed the Mission to 135th Parish of archdiocese and
appointed Father Peter Long as Pastor. Our Lady of Vietnam parish
gradually took shape and grew ever since. On 8-Sep-1992 the first
level was started costing 1.6 Millions mostly contributed by 350 families
of parish
-28-Aug-1993 Cardinal Hickey dedicated
the building He said: "This building we bless today is an expression
of your faith and of your deep Catholic cultural heritage, the true
foundation is Jesus Christ. The archdiocese, is a mosaic of faith,
drawn from many racial, ethnic and cultural heritages." This center
will help you be a community of loving service to those in need. So
many of you know how difficult it is to live in a new land".
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Bishop
Alvaro Corrada Laid The First Stone 09-Nov-1988
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Rev.
Peter Nguyen Thanh Long, Pastor
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First
Level 28-Aug-1993
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-Dec-1999, After 6 years of dealing
with architects and the fund raising program from 1993-1999, the upper
level started on December 1999. Through much sacrifice, including
children putting aside ice cream, candy money, the parish of 600 families
and friends across the country raised nearly $3,000.000 in the past
decade to build the new church. The amount of contribution is ranges
from several hundred to $20,000 to make the dream of having the own
church build with the Vietnamese architecture comes true. 4-Nov-2000
The Church and parish was dedicated to honor the Blessed Mother "Me
Viet Nam," the parish patron also honor the 117 Vietnamese martyrs
who gave their lives for the faith in the past. their relics be honored
in this Church. From now on Our Lady of Viet Nam Church will be a
symbol of the Vietnamese culture and Faith in the archdiocese of Washington
DC.
-8-Sep-2001 Finished and celebrated
the dedication.
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Upper
Level Oct-2000
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11812
New Hampshire Avenue
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14-Apr-2003
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-2003- Present. Continuing the
building of the rectory project. The money had been raised and the
parish is waiting the construction permit to start the new rectory.
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