About Immaculate Heart of Mary · Lincoln, Nebraska
Immaculate Heart of Mary is a Vietnamese-language Roman Catholic parish in Lincoln, Nebraska, part of the Diocese of Lincoln. It was established to serve the Vietnamese Catholic community that grew in Lincoln after the fall of Saigon in 1975, when Lincoln was designated a 'Refugee Friendly' city and Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska helped resettle hundreds of Vietnamese refugees. The parish is recognized as one of the earliest Vietnamese Catholic parishes in the United States and remains a spiritual and cultural home for Vietnamese families in southeast Lincoln. Today it offers weekend Masses in Vietnamese and a vibrant program of choirs, catechesis (taught by the CMRM sisters) and devotions such as the Family of Mary, Queen of Mercy.
- Established
- 1979
- Patron
- Immaculate Heart of Mary (Đức Mẹ Vô Nhiễm Nguyên Tội / Trái Tim Vô Nhiễm Nguyên Tội của Đức Mẹ)
- Rector
- Fr. Dominic Nguyen, CMR
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lincoln
Why belong here
Immaculate Heart of Mary is the spiritual home of the Vietnamese Catholic community in Lincoln, offering all weekend Masses in Vietnamese with a Saturday Vigil at 6:00 p.m. and two Sunday Masses at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. The parish is served by priests of the CMR/CRM religious institutes and the CMRM (Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Mercy), who teach catechism and run a local childcare center. Parishioners can join four parish choirs, the annual Vietnamese/English Christmas Eve concert, the monthly Family of Mary, Queen of Mercy prayer gathering, and a Lion Dance team (DMNV Lion Dance Team) that performs at parish and community events.
Mass times at Immaculate Heart of Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday (specific time not listed on the diocese directory page)
Identity and Mission
Immaculate Heart of Mary is identified on the Diocese of Lincoln directory as a parish within the Lincoln Deanery, dedicated to the Vietnamese Catholic faithful of Lincoln and surrounding area. It is described as a 'dual-lingual parish,' serving both first-generation Vietnamese immigrants and English-speaking younger members.
- Parish name: Immaculate Heart of Mary
- Diocese of Lincoln, Deanery of Lincoln
- Bilingual: Vietnamese and English
- Cultural identity: Vietnamese Catholic community parish
History and Vietnamese Catholic Community
The parish was born from the Vietnamese Catholic refugee community that arrived in Lincoln after the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska, working with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, resettled 257 Vietnamese refugees in the Diocese of Lincoln that first year; by 1979 more than 450 Southeast Asians had made Nebraska their home. Bishop Glennon P. Flavin of the Diocese of Lincoln eventually authorized a dedicated Vietnamese Catholic parish roughly four years after the fall of Saigon, and the resulting Immaculate Heart of Mary became the second Vietnamese Catholic parish in the United States. In 1985, Bishop Flavin invited the Congregation of Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Mercy (CMRM) to come to Lincoln, where they have since taught catechism at the parish and staffed other diocesan ministries.
- Founded circa 1979, approximately four years after the fall of Saigon.
- Second Vietnamese Catholic parish in the United States (per academic study by Hoang, 2019).
- Roots in the 1975 Vietnamese Catholic refugee resettlement coordinated by Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska.
- Extended Tran family of 26 was among the early refugee families that helped establish the parish.
Clergy and Religious
Immaculate Heart of Mary is served by priests of the CMR (Congregation of the Mother Co-Redemptrix) family of institutes. The Diocese of Lincoln directory currently lists Fr. Dominic Nguyen, CMR, as the priest assigned to the parish, with residence at 6405 Madison Avenue, Lincoln, NE. Earlier pastors include Rev. Thomas Nguyen, CMC (mid-2010s) and Fr. Basil Toan Quang Doan, CRM (late 2024). The CMRM sisters (Congregation of Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Mercy) provide ongoing catechetical instruction and pastoral support.
- Fr. Dominic Nguyen, CMR — current pastor (per Diocese of Lincoln directory).
- Fr. Basil Toan Quang Doan, CRM — pastor in 2024, sang in the Christmas Eve concert.
- Rev. Thomas Nguyen, CMC — pastor circa 2016.
- CMRM sisters — teach catechism classes at the parish and serve other Lincoln diocesan ministries.
Music and Liturgy
The parish maintains an unusually rich music program coordinated by volunteer music director Cao Nguyen. Four parish choirs (with members ranging from age two-and-a-half to one hundred, and three generations of at least one family) provide music for the regular weekend Masses as well as special celebrations such as the vow professions of the CMRM sisters. Every Christmas Eve, the parish hosts a special bilingual carol concert at 7:00 p.m. — built around four 'chapters' of the Nativity story — followed by Mass at 8:30 p.m.
- Four parish choirs, plus instrumental ensembles (strings, woodwinds, percussion, Casio keyboards).
- Music director Cao Nguyen — music degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University; pursuing a master's in choral conducting at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
- Christmas Eve concert: 7:00 p.m., bilingual Vietnamese/English, livestreamed on the parish Facebook page.
- Christmas Eve Mass: 8:30 p.m.
Devotions and Community Groups
Beyond the regular Mass schedule, the parish hosts a monthly prayer gathering called the Family of Mary, Queen of Mercy, held with the CMRM sisters at their convent and prayed in Vietnamese. The parish is also home to the DMNV Lion Dance Team, which performs at parish events and in the wider Lincoln community.
- Family of Mary, Queen of Mercy — monthly prayer and fellowship with the CMRM sisters.
- DMNV Lion Dance Team — performs at parish and community events.
- Catechism classes for children and youth — taught by the CMRM sisters.
Contact and Location
Immaculate Heart of Mary is located on Madison Avenue in southeast Lincoln. The street address (the church) is 6345 Madison Avenue, while the mailing address is 6405 Madison Avenue, Lincoln, NE 68507. The parish office can be reached at (402) 464-0111.
- Street address: 6345 Madison Avenue, Lincoln, NE 68507
- Mailing address: 6405 Madison Avenue, Lincoln, NE 68507
- Phone: (402) 464-0111
- Diocese listing: lincolndiocese.org/directory/parishes/729-immaculate-heart-of-mary-lincoln
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Thomas Nguyen, CMC
Listed as pastor in mid-2010s; CMC = Congregation of the Mother Co-Redemptrix.
- Fr. Basil Toan Quang Doan, CRM
Served as pastor in late 2024; sang at Christmas Eve concert directed by music director Cao Nguyen.
- Fr. Dominic Nguyen, CMR
Listed as current priest assigned to Immaculate Heart of Mary on the Diocese of Lincoln parish directory.