What’s distinctive about your parish? What is your parish’s charism? In April 1975, the fall of Saigon brought waves of Vietnamese refugees to the United States. Many refugees made their way to Northern Virginia and joined a small number of Vietnamese already there and established a congregation in the Diocese of Arlington. The Blessed Vietnamese Martyrs Church, the first Vietnamese Catholic parish in the U.S., was established Aug. 19, 1979, by Bishop Thomas J. Welsh. Father Nhat Duy Tran was the first pastor of the parish established for all Vietnamese Catholics. Our parishioners come from different regions and different backgrounds; therefore, unity is our parish’s charism.
About six months after Pope John Paul II canonized 117 martyrs from Vietnam, Bishop John R. Keating approved the change of the parish’s name Jan. 24, 1989, to Holy Martyrs of Vietnam Church, as petitioned by Father Trong Binh Tran, a former pastor.
Since August 2000, the diocese assigned the Vietnamese Dominican Order from Calgary, Canada, to minister to the parish. At the parish’s 40th anniversary Mass Sept. 15, 2019, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge installed Dominican Father An Quoc Dang as the ninth pastor.
For years, Vietnamese Catholics in Ashburn, Sterling, Herndon, Chantilly, Centreville, Manassas, South Riding and farther areas drove for as long as 90 minutes to Arlington to attend Mass in their mother tongue. In 2006, a Vietnamese Mass began being celebrated at St. Thomas à Becket Church in Reston, and the congregation was named Our Lady of La Vang. In 2011, when the congregation of approximately 100 families outgrew the church, it moved to St. Veronica Church in Chantilly. The congregation continued to grow and Bishop Burbidge established and erected the Mission Church of Our Lady of La Vang within the personal parish of Holy Martyrs of Vietnam Church Sept. 3, 2017. In December 2022, the diocese gifted a 33-acre plot in Herndon to the mission to build a permanent home.
What’s the one unique thing visitors to your parish should do or see while there? In 2005, the shrine of Our Lady of La Vang was built outside the church in Arlington to commemorate the Blessed Virgin. She appeared to small groups of Vietnamese Catholics hiding from the king and his Christian persecution decrees in the forest village of La Vang, Quang Tri, Vietnam, in 1798. These Vietnamese Catholics left their homes, went into hiding, and suffered dangers, privations, and illness to practice their Catholic faith. The parishioners gather at the shrine to pray the rosary and seek the Blessed Mother’s intercessions. Parishioners may have a stone plaque engraved in memory of their deceased loved ones.
Inside the church is a huge, beautiful wall mural of the Holy Martyrs of Vietnam behind the altar and the tabernacle. Vietnamese Catholics have special devotions to Our Lady of La Vang and the Vietnamese martyrs.
What is parish life and faith formation like? We are flourishing with nine choirs and many apostolates with active participation from various age groups. Ministries include the League of Sacred Heart, Catholic Women League, Knights of Columbus, Eucharistic Youth Movement and Our Lady of Fatima Apostolic prayer groups. There are about 500 students in the parish religious education program, from kindergarten to 12th grade, every Saturday during the school year. CCD classes are preceded by Vietnamese language classes, and followed by a vigil Mass, which is endearingly known as the “youth Mass.” Our two-year first Communion program attracts approximately 50-60 students annually. Similarly, our two-year confirmation program prepares an average of 50-60 students to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation annually. Many of those confirmed return to volunteer in different capacities in the CCD program.
How do you cultivate the Vietnamese heritage for younger generations?
We host Vietnamese language classes for the parishioners’ children, non-parishioners’ and even non-Catholic Vietnamese, who want their children to learn the language. The parish also organizes special Vietnamese traditions such as Tet (Lunar New Year) and Mid-Autumn Moon festivals to help promote Vietnamese culture. Every year during the Tet celebration, the parish and mission hold a two-day event to celebrate the New Year with traditional Vietnamese music and food. This is also a fundraiser for the new church. People from throughout the Washington area come to enjoy the cultural celebration.
What would a visitor say about your parish, and how do new parishioners get involved? With proximity to Washington, many Vietnamese Catholic tourists visit from out of state and other countries. They enjoy a warm welcome and are often joined by friends or relatives who live in the area.
Is there a standout or longtime staff member or volunteer you’d like to tell us about? Our parish is unique because it has a sizable number of volunteers and very few lay employees. We have only two full-time employees (a secretary and a maintenance person) and one part-time janitorial employee for the mission. The volunteers include a business manager, bookkeeper, directors of religious education, music and youth ministries, and a dozen professionals to maintain our church, from information technology to maintenance of the HVAC system. As we continue to welcome new members, we are grateful for many members who have contributed time and effort since the first days of the parish.
Quick facts
Holy Martyrs of Vietnam Church
915 S. Wakefield St.
Arlington, Va. 22204
703-553-0370
Website: cttdva.org
Pastor: Fr. An Quoc Dang, O.P.
Parochial vicars: Fr. Vincent Thao Ngoc Dinh, O.P.; Fr. Peter Phuong Dinh Nguyen, O.P.; Fr. Joseph Tien Minh Vu, O.P.
Mass times: Saturday vigil: 6 p.m.; Sunday: 8 a.m., 10 a.m., noon and 7 p.m.; Monday-Saturday: 8 a.m.; Monday-Friday: 7 p.m.
Confession: 30 minutes before and after Mass and by appointment.
Year established: 1979
Total parishioners: 7,233
