The diocese’s largest congregation of Vietnamese Catholics is at St. Joseph Catholic Church, located on Sandy Porter Road in Charlotte, seconded by Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church, located on Shamrock Drive in Charlotte. Vietnamese Catholics in the Triad have found a home at St. Mary’s Church, located on Gorrell Street in Greensboro, one of the most ethnically diverse parishes in the diocese. These parish communities celebrate their Catholic faith, keep alive their Vietnamese heritage and language, and build relationships with others in their parish family.
The Diocese of Charlotte welcomed the first Vietnamese refugees in 1975, the year when Saigon fell and the Vietnam War ended. Since then, many more Vietnamese immigrants have settled in western North Carolina, and the Vietnamese Catholic community is thriving. What began as an apostolate centered in Charlotte and served by priests from Vietnam, grew during the 1980s and 1990s until it was decided a parish church was needed.
St. Joseph Catholic Church in Charlotte, dedicated in 2004 by Bishop Peter Jugis, is home to many of these first- and second-generation immigrant families. “This year marks 40 years since we first arrived in Charlotte,” noted Father Tri Truong, pastor of St. Joseph Church and himself the child of a Vietnamese immigrant, during a special commemoration in 2015. “It is a significant milestone for us on our journey. We have journeyed from a few families in 1975 to over 900 registered families at St. Joseph Church.”
St. Joseph Catholic Church offers Masses in Vietnamese and in English – check their parish website for details. St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Greensboro also offers Mass each week in Vietnamese – check their parish website for details.
Learn more:
“Vietnamese Catholics celebrate 40 years in the diocese”
“St. Joseph Vietnamese Church celebrates anniversary”
“St. Mary’s Parish in Greensboro rejoices with multicultural anniversary celebration”