Latinos Disturbed by Vietnamese Name of New Church

March 4, 2001

Source: Los Angeles Times

On March 4, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported on ground-blessing ceremonies for a new church, the first in Southern California given a Vietnamese name: Our Lady of La Vang. The new church replaces Our Lady of Lourdes. "The name...has been praised by leaders of Orange County's large Vietnamese Catholic community [the second-largest ethnic community behind Latinos in the Diocese of Orange]. But it has stirred controversy within Our Lady of Lourdes' mostly Latino congregation...In 2000, an average of 23,500 parishioners attended Vietnamese Masses" outside of Vietnam. "A major challenge for the parish will be bringing together three diverse communities that make up the surrounding neighborhood: Latino, Vietnamese and white...The new parish will be the first intentionally trilingual Catholic church in the county."