A Bilingual Parish on the White Horse Pike
Most Precious Blood Parish sits at 445 White Horse Pike in West Collingswood, New Jersey, where it serves one of the most distinctively bilingual Catholic communities in the Diocese of Camden. The parish describes itself as a bilingual and multicultural family of God, united by the Gospel and the teaching of the Church, with weekend liturgies offered in both English and Vietnamese and weekday Masses in each language every day of the work week. Its Vietnamese name, Giáo Xứ Máu Châu Báu Chúa, appears alongside the English title on the parish masthead, and every schedule on the bulletin boards is posted in both languages.
Father Raymond Son Tran, C.S.F., the current pastor, extends a greeting that names the parish's identity plainly: in addition to Eucharistic celebrations, the community offers religious education for children, a music ministry staffed by several choirs, an active youth group, various small groups, and opportunities for spiritual growth and community service. Visitors are invited to join the parish family and take part in its life.
Mass Schedule and Sacraments
The weekly rhythm at Most Precious Blood centers on a full daily Mass schedule. On Saturdays, a Vietnamese Mass is celebrated at 8:30 AM, followed by the English Vigil Mass at 5:00 PM. Sunday brings three liturgies: 7:30 AM in Vietnamese, 9:00 AM in English, and 10:30 AM in Vietnamese. Monday through Friday offer two Masses each day - 8:30 AM in English and 6:00 PM in Vietnamese - so worshippers can attend in either language throughout the week.
Reconciliation is heard on Saturday afternoons from 4:15 to 4:45 PM and on Sunday mornings from 8:30 to 8:50 AM and again from 10:00 to 10:20 AM, with appointments available on request. Every Friday afternoon in Vietnamese, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and Eucharistic Adoration are prayed together from 5:30 to 6:00 PM, preceding the evening Mass. A Holy Hour in English is held from 9:00 to 10:00 AM on the first Friday of each month. Baptisms are celebrated at noon each Sunday in English, with families asked to contact the rectory in advance; Vietnamese families may also arrange baptisms after contacting the parish office. The Sacrament of the Sick is available by calling the rectory, and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion bring the Eucharist to the sick and elderly at home. Marriages require at least one year of preparation through the Diocese, and the pastor should be contacted as the first step.
On Holy Days of Obligation, a bilingual Vigil Mass is offered at 7:00 PM, followed by an English Mass at 8:30 AM the next morning and a Vietnamese Mass at 7:00 PM.
From Two Parishes to One
Most Precious Blood Parish carries the heritage of two predecessor communities that came together in the Diocese of Camden's wave of pastoral mergers. The story of the West Collingswood side begins on February 1, 1950, when Bishop Bartholomew J. Eustace established a new parish carved from parts of St. John's in Collingswood and St. Joan of Arc in Fairview. The Reverend Daniel J. McGill, a longtime assistant at St. John's, was named founding pastor. Ground for the new church was broken on May 18, 1950, and the first Mass was celebrated in the still-unfinished building on July 15, 1951, when more than 1,100 people packed the space that seated only 600. The cornerstone was laid on May 20, 1951, by Bishop Eustace in a ceremony attended by forty priests, and the church was formally dedicated on November 10, 1951. Its final cost, including furnishings, was $275,000.
Designed by New York architect Paul C. Reily (who also designed Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden), the building was the first contemporary church in the Diocese of Camden and drew visitors from across the region. Writers of the day described it as "an edifice of unusual architecture," "a blend of beauty in cypress and glass," and "one of the most modern and attractive churches in the area." The most celebrated feature was a row of eleven windows, each made of sixty-four colored panes, twenty-five feet from floor to roof, set along the McGill Avenue side. The panes were angled so that morning light would fall directly across the shoulders of the congregation and onto the altar. Air-conditioning was added in 1985 through a donation in memory of a parishioner's wife.
Across the borough line in Woodlynne, a parallel Catholic story was unfolding. On August 2, 1949, Bishop Eustace appointed the Reverend James Zegerts pastor of the newly formed Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, whose first Masses were held in the Borough Hall while a former bank building at Cooper and Woodlynne Avenues was renovated. By 1964 the parish had grown enough to build a new church, an L-shaped structure carefully constructed around the old bank so worship could continue. Over the decades, the parish thrived with a Holy Name Society, a choir, an altar and rosary sodality, a CYO basketball team, and a CCD program. But by the late 1990s, the original parishioner base had aged and dispersed.
Renewal came in 2000, when the Reverend Joseph An Nguyen arrived with a growing Vietnamese Catholic community. Under his care, Immaculate Heart of Mary experienced a fresh chapter of life. In April 2008, Bishop Joseph A. Galante announced that Transfiguration would close and merge with St. John's in Collingswood and Holy Savior in Westmont. A year later, on April 8, 2009, the Bishop reversed that decision and instead directed Transfiguration to merge with Immaculate Heart of Mary. The two parishes joined to form the new community now known as Most Precious Blood Parish, with the White Horse Pike church serving as the home parish and the Woodlynne church continuing as a mission site.
Music Ministry and Choirs
Music is one of the parish's most visible expressions of its bilingual identity. The Music Ministry is led by Director of Worship and Music Hoa Nguyễn and includes several choirs that serve the different Sunday Masses. The Sacred Heart Choir (Ca Đoàn Thánh Tâm) sings the 7:30 AM Vietnamese Mass, led by choir leader Nhật Nguyễn. The St. Carlo Acutis Choir and the Saint Vincent Choir (Ca Đoàn Vinh Sơn) share duties at the 9:00 AM English Mass, with Father Ferdinand Nguyễn Hoàng Minh, Alysa Đỗ, Anna Trần, and Isabel Trương serving the St. Carlo Acutis Choir and David Đoàn leading Saint Vincent. The Trinh Vương Choir and the Saint Teresa Choir (Ca Đoàn Têrêsa) round out the Vietnamese music program, each with its own president, vice president, and treasurer.
The Concordia Choir (Ca Đoàn Đồng Tâm) is the parish's children's choir. Founded in 2009, it has grown considerably and sings regularly for weekly Masses, the annual Nativity Play, and other parish celebrations. Members describe themselves as "one body in Christ," working together to support the harmony of the liturgy.
Religious Education and Schools
Faith formation for children is a central ministry. The Religious Education program (Trường Giáo Lý) prepares students in grades 1 through 8 for the sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation. Children spend two years preparing for each sacrament, with classes meeting from 10:15 to 11:30 AM every Sunday from September through May in the parish school. Father Raymond Son Tran serves as Director of Religious Education, with Quỳnh Như Nguyễn as Coordinator.
The parish also operates the Vietnamese Language School, known as Trường Việt Ngữ Đắc Lộ. Founded in 1996 by the Reverend Joseph Nguyen in collaboration with the Vietnamese-American Cultural and Educational Center, the school began with the goal of teaching Vietnamese-American children their mother tongue and keeping Vietnamese culture alive across generations. Eighteen years after its founding, the school had grown to include non-Vietnamese students and adults as well. Classes meet from 10:00 AM to noon every Saturday during the school year. The current principal is Lê Quốc Việt, with Thu Nguyen serving as vice principal. An active PTA supports the school through fundraisers, security watch during school hours, and a Teacher Appreciation Luncheon.
For adults considering the Catholic faith or wishing to complete their sacraments, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) begins each November. Those interested are asked to contact the pastor or the parish office for information.
Knights of Columbus and Other Ministries
The Father McGill Council #5113 of the Knights of Columbus was chartered at Transfiguration Church in April 1963, named in memory of the founding pastor Father Daniel J. McGill. As a member council of the worldwide Catholic fraternal organization founded by Father McGivney in 1882, the local council promotes fraternity among Catholic men and supports widows and children through its insurance program. Today the council is chaired by Raymond Czarkowski, with Bruce A. Caridi as secretary and Vinh Ha among its members for those inquiring about joining. The council meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month in the school.
Legio Marie is another long-standing devotional group at the parish, led by spiritual director Father Ferdinand Nguyễn Hoàng Minh. The Altar Servers (Ban Lễ Sinh), coordinated by Thi Trần and Livia Vũ, assist at the liturgies, and the parish maintains groups for lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion as well. The Parish Pastoral and Finance Councils offer governance and counsel under the leadership of their elected members.
The Parish Building and Grounds
The West Collingswood church remains the architectural landmark it was at its 1951 dedication. Beyond the cypress-and-glass sanctuary with its eleven signature windows, the property includes the parish school - an eight-classroom building with an adjoining auditorium and social hall, the cornerstone of which was laid on March 9, 1963, by Archbishop Celestine J. Damiano. The school opened in September 1963 staffed by the Sisters of St. Dominic from Blauvelt, New York, and served the parish community until declining enrollment led to its closure in June 1994. The school building has since been put to other parish uses, including religious education classrooms and meeting space for the Knights of Columbus. A separate rectory at 500 Browning Road served the parish until a new one was completed in 1969.
At the Woodlynne mission site, the parish has overseen a revamped climate-control system and a new roof for the church and rectory, provided by the St. Joseph the Carpenter group and the families of the parish. The Woodlynne church continues to serve as an additional place of worship for the merged community.
Hospitality and Parish Life
Outside of liturgy, the parish maintains a steady rhythm of fellowship. The Altar and Rosary Society, organized in 1952 under its founding president Eva Halbe and still active today, gathers for a monthly Mass and hosts fundraisers including pasta dinners, cake sales, and a Chinese auction. Coffee and Donuts gatherings are held periodically after Mass as a chance to meet other parishioners, and the parish has revived this tradition following the COVID-19 closures. Annual events include a St. Patrick's Day Senior Luncheon organized by Roxanne Caputo, Minh Thu, and the parish's young adults, Chinese New Year celebrations, the Nativity Play in December, and a Cup of Christmas Tea. The Concordia Children's Choir sings at many of these events, and the Saint Teresa Choir hosts its own New Year's gathering.
The parish rectory office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to noon and 1:00 to 5:00 PM. New parishioners are asked to register at the rectory as soon as possible - a step that proves especially helpful when seeking letters of eligibility to serve as a godparent or sacramental sponsor. Parishioners are encouraged to remember Most Precious Blood Parish in their wills as a way to support the community's future.