On New Hampshire Avenue in Silver Spring, Maryland, Our Lady of Vietnam Parish is known for a Catholic church whose architecture is inseparable from Vietnamese memory. The bilingual parish worships in Vietnamese and English and serves a community whose roots reach back to refugees and immigrants. Its central building, called the Vietnamese Dream by Msgr. Peter Nguyễn Thanh Long, turns the Tam Quan, a village well, the curved roof of Vietnam, Marian symbols, and images of family and homeland into a place of prayer and belonging.
From Forty-Five Families to Parish 135
In 1977, about 45 Vietnamese Catholic families were living in Maryland, and the community had no church of its own. Its members celebrated Mass by borrowing other Catholic churches. Msgr. Nguyễn Thanh Long, a priest whose own life had been deeply shaped by the upheaval in Vietnam, began visiting refugee families with small children and infants. He understood that a growing Vietnamese Catholic community needed a permanent home where it could worship in its own language and preserve the religious life it had brought from Vietnam.
Long's own path to that mission included a profound spiritual crisis after 1975. He later described a decisive return to his faith while looking at an image of the infant Jesus in a crib. His renewed sense of vocation became inseparable from the work of gathering Vietnamese Catholics in the Washington area. As the community grew to roughly 65 families, his conviction that it needed its own church grew as well. What began as an idea became an architectural plan, a fundraising effort, and a communal project.
The Archdiocese of Washington acquired property on New Hampshire Avenue in 1986. Architect Nguyễn Văn Huy made the first drawing, but the final design took shape after Long and an architect named Frank held 75 meetings to reconcile Long's cultural vision with construction realities. Their work produced a two-level, square church in which Vietnamese forms and Catholic symbols were joined rather than placed side by side.
Cardinal James Hickey formally erected Our Lady of Vietnam Parish on February 22, 1990, and the decree was announced at Mass on April 8. It became Parish 135 of the Archdiocese of Washington. The lower level opened in September 1993, giving the community a permanent place for worship. The main sanctuary was dedicated on November 4, 2000, completing a project that had taken years of fundraising, planning, labor, and prayer. During the illness of the parish's pastor, Fr. Dominic Vũ Ngọc An, the community completed the choir loft and the monument to Our Lady outside the church.
The parish is served by Rev. Paul Trần Xuân Tâm as pastor and Deacon Joseph Nguyễn Thanh Nguyên as permanent deacon. Their work continues a tradition that has always joined pastoral care with the practical task of helping families raise children in Catholic faith and Vietnamese culture.
The Vietnamese Dream in Stone
Msgr. Nguyễn Thanh Long called the church the Vietnamese Dream because he wanted the building to carry the character of his homeland. Its form is square, measuring 100 feet on each side, with two levels and about 20,000 square feet of usable space. The architecture is not decorative alone. Its entrance, proportions, columns, doors, steps, waterside feature, and Marian images express the history Long wanted the parish to remember.
- The Tam Quan at the entrance represents Thiên, Địa and Nhân, or Heaven, Earth and Humanity.
- Inside, ten supporting columns symbolize the Ten Commandments.
- The square and circular forms recall the bánh dầy and bánh chưng associated with King Hùng and the cultural landscape of Vietnam.
- Four doors represent the seasons and the directions of east, west, south, and north.
- The five steps leading into the church represent Nhân, Lễ, Nghĩa, Trí and Tín: humanity, ritual, righteousness, wisdom, and faith.
- A baptismal font beside a village-well image joins the local Vietnamese symbol of a communal well with the waters of Christian rebirth.
- A boat represents the Church traveling through the world, while the figure of Bà Bồng Cháu beneath Mary and the infant Jesus recalls the sacrificial love associated with Vietnamese women.
- At the highest point, an egg bearing a map of Vietnam recalls the tradition that the Vietnamese people began inside the egg of Âu Cơ.
The curving roof joins the Vietnamese architectural tradition to the square and round forms at the center of the church. Long wanted worship to feel inseparable from the culture and family life of the Vietnamese people. His architectural statement also carries theological meaning: Vietnamese cultural symbols become a setting for prayer, moral life, family, and communion with God.
Another major feature, Hồn Thiêng Sông Núi, brings the traditions of the Red, Perfume, and Mekong rivers into the parish landscape. Water representing the La Vang spring joins the river imagery, while a hill, a pond with koi, a bridge, and a statue of Our Lady of La Vang express the Vietnamese ideal of harmony between people, the natural world, and God. The monument to Our Lady outside the church, completed under Fr. Dominic's pastoral leadership, continues the focus on Mary that runs through the building's symbolism.
A Week Centered on Prayer and Mass
A weekday follows a clear rhythm of prayer, Eucharistic adoration, and Mass. From Monday through Friday, the Rosary is prayed at 6:00 PM, Eucharistic Adoration begins at 6:30 PM, and Mass follows at 7:00 PM. These observances give the parish a steady structure in which Scripture, the Eucharist, intercession, and devotion to Mary are woven into ordinary days.
Two daily Masses also take place on weekdays:
- 8:00 AM in Vietnamese
- 9:30 AM in English
Saturday combines the parish's recurring works of mercy and prayer. The Divine Mercy gathering takes place at 3:00 PM and is accompanied by the parish's continuing reflection on St. Faustina. Eucharistic Adoration begins at 6:30 PM, followed by the Sunday Vigil Mass at 7:00 PM.
Three Masses are celebrated on Sunday at 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, and 11:00 AM. The rhythm allows families and individuals to participate in the parish's principal Sunday worship at different times. The Anrê Dũng Lạc children's group also gathers on Sunday morning in the parish hall, placing youth formation alongside the Sunday Mass schedule.
The first Friday of each month has its own extended devotional rhythm: Mass at 8:00 AM, Eucharistic Adoration from 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM, the Rosary at 6:00 PM, and Stations of the Cross at 6:30 PM. On the first Saturday, Mass is celebrated at 8:00 AM, followed at 8:30 AM by the Rosary and a prayer to Our Lady. These monthly observances deepen the parish's strong Marian and Eucharistic life.
For people preparing for the sacrament of Reconciliation, confession guidance is available in both English and Vietnamese. The bilingual guidance helps worshippers examine their lives under the Ten Commandments and the example of Christ before receiving absolution.
The parish office is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, closed on Wednesdays, and open Sunday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. The general parish telephone number is 301-622-4895, and the parish email address is info@olvn-dc.org.
Vietnamese and English at the Same Altar
Vietnamese and English shape the worship and teaching of Our Lady of Vietnam Parish. The daily Mass schedule is explicitly bilingual, with Vietnamese at 8:00 AM and English at 9:30 AM. Scripture readings for the week are offered in both languages, as are devotional resources, the confession guide, and the parish's educational materials.
The bilingual rhythm reflects the community described by the church's founding pastor: a Catholic people carrying the faith and cultural memory of Vietnam into a new life in the United States. English gives the parish a shared language of worship and civic life, while Vietnamese preserves the linguistic and cultural setting in which many families formed their Catholic identity.
Mass is also available through online broadcasts. English Mass is livestreamed through Catholic TV, while a Vietnamese livestream is available through Facebook.
Catechesis and Vietnamese Language on Sunday
The parish's Catechesis and Vietnamese Language Program, known as GLVN, meets every Sunday from 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM at White Oak Middle School. It combines Catholic religious education with the study of Vietnamese for children from kindergarten through Grade 8. The two strands are treated as complementary: learning the faith includes learning the language in which the faith is spoken, taught, prayed, and carried into family life.
Students work through graded Catholic lessons and take-home assignments. The Vietnamese resources include flash cards, fables, fairy tales, and children's stories. Catholic formation uses the Scripture, the sacraments, the life of the Church, and the moral life, while the language curriculum reinforces reading, writing, and cultural fluency. Certificates recognizing regular Mass attendance are also part of the program.
Grade 8 has a special role as preparation for the first year of Confirmation. The pastor and catechesis board conduct a final catechism review with students before they receive Confirmation. The parish has marked the end of the school year with a Mass of thanksgiving, an awards ceremony for outstanding students, and a shared meal for students and families. Christmas and Tết gatherings have also brought students, families, music, and Vietnamese cultural traditions together.
Child protection is integrated into the program. The parish provides training and a child protection policy for adults working with children, along with parent resources addressing internet safety, cyberbullying, sexting, healthy teen relationships, and bullying. The parish also says that it does not want financial hardship to keep a child from receiving catechesis, and families who need assistance with tuition are invited to speak with the pastor.
Children and Youth Finding Their Place
The Anrê Dũng Lạc children's group is the parish's Eucharistic youth ministry. It gathers children for Scripture, prayer, Catholic formation, and service. Its activities have included retreats, a Lenten retreat, summer camp, and opportunities for adults to serve as assistants and instructors. The group treats religious education as something lived together rather than limited to classroom lessons.
The parish also has a Youth Group for young people after Confirmation, including those in high school, college, and adult life. Its stated purpose is to support and deepen the Catholic faith of these young adults through reflection on the Word of God, faith discussion, retreats, social activities, and charitable service. Youth activity has included support for unborn life and participation in a Pro-Life March.
Music and community are additional dimensions of youth life. Ca Đoàn Cecilia is the parish choir, and the broader parish family has brought together students, families, and longtime supporters for Christmas and Tết celebrations that combine Catholic observance with Vietnamese music and culture.
Marriage Enrichment and Lay Fellowship
The Thăng Tiến Hôn Nhân marriage program focuses on spiritual and personal growth within married life. Fr. Peter Chu Quang Minh founded the program in Wichita, Kansas, in 1986 using an experiential approach to family ethics, and Pope John Paul II approved its emblem in 1994. Its four stated aims are to deepen a person's relationship with God as King, Father, and Friend; increase mutual understanding between spouses; improve the way parents communicate with their children; and strengthen the apostolic life of couples through service to others.
The parish celebrates the patron saints of marriage on the Feast of the Holy Family. Couples in the movement are encouraged to continue growing in marriage and family life while also serving as examples to other couples. This emphasis reflects Long's conviction that family life and public service should reinforce one another.
Other forms of lay participation give the parish a broad base of ministry. The parish has included Cursillo, the Blue Army, mothers' groups, Eucharistic ministers, Scripture readers, children's leaders, the Knights of Columbus Council 11769, and the Vietnamese youth organizations. These groups extend the parish's prayer life into service, family formation, community organization, and the care of others.
Charity Across the Pacific
The parish's charitable identity reaches beyond Silver Spring through the MeVietnam Foundation. Msgr. Nguyễn Thanh Long often reminded parishioners of the Vietnamese saying that a good leaf shelters a torn leaf. He urged them to care for people in poverty, especially children in Vietnam who lacked the means to continue their education. After his death, he entrusted his resources to the priest he considered his spiritual son for the purpose of establishing that support program.
The foundation was established in 2009 as a nonprofit organization. Its mission is to provide financial help to poor, motivated children in Vietnam whose families cannot afford to continue their schooling. It raises funds through parishioners' charitable contributions, works with local charitable organizations in Vietnam, and sends members to maintain direct relationships with those organizations and distribute assistance.
This work carries forward the history of a parish that began by caring for families displaced from Vietnam and continues to link worship, family life, and service. Long's legacy also included advocacy for religious freedom, human rights, and democracy in Vietnam. The parish's youth ministry continues that public witness through its support for unborn life.
A Family Formed by Word and Sacrament
Cardinal Donald Wuerl articulated the parish's identity by describing its members as disciples of the risen Jesus who accept his Gospel and teaching. Catholic faith is understood not only as an individual relationship with Christ but as belonging to God's family, the Church. In that understanding, the parish building is a place set apart for prayer, the ambo is central because the Word of God is proclaimed there, and the Eucharist is the center of Catholic worship and Christian life.
Long's building expresses the same identity in stone. Heaven, earth, humanity, family, nature, moral responsibility, Vietnamese history, and Marian devotion are not placed outside the faith; they are incorporated into the visual language of the church. The Tam Quan leads worshipers toward the altar, the ten columns recall God's commandments, the well points to baptism, and the waters and hills evoke the Vietnamese homeland in relationship to God.
Our Lady of Vietnam Parish is therefore known not only for bilingual worship and the scale of its Sunday catechesis program, but also for the way it has joined a Catholic community's prayer to the memories and symbols of the Vietnamese people. In the church built as the Vietnamese Dream, the parish continues to gather families, children, young adults, and elders around the Word, the sacraments, Mary, and service to one another.