About Immaculate Heart of Mary [Tonu Maria Siangtho Lungtang Biakinn] · Tulsa, Oklahoma
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish — known by its Zomi name Tonu Maria Siangtho Lungtang Biakinn — is a Catholic parish of the Diocese of Tulsa that serves the Burmese (Zomi/Chin) Catholic community in Oklahoma. It is the only Burmese Catholic parish in the United States and the spiritual home of roughly 80 (and growing) Zomi families, most of them refugees or immigrants from Chin State in northwestern Myanmar who fled religious persecution in the overwhelmingly Buddhist nation. Sunday worship and the sacraments are celebrated in the Zomi language. The parish is pastored by Rev. Robert Kimpu (Father Robert Kim), a Zomi priest who came to the U.S. from Myanmar, and it remains closely tied to the wider Zomi community in Tulsa — sometimes called 'Zomi Town' — which is the largest concentration of Zomi people in the country.
- Established
- 2012
- Patron
- Immaculate Heart of Mary
- Rector
- Rev. Robert Kimpu (Fr. Robert Kim)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa
Why belong here
If you are a Zomi or Burmese Catholic in the Tulsa area — or a Burmese Catholic anywhere in the United States — this is your spiritual home: the only Burmese Catholic parish in the country, with Sunday Mass in Zomi at both 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM, Burmese-language confessions before each Mass, a Zomi-language Rosary prayed 30 minutes before Mass, and a pastor who is himself Zomi and Myanmar-born. The parish is deeply rooted in faith, family and refugee experience — roughly 80 families of mostly small children worship together every week — and it is also a hub of wider Zomi Catholic life, having given birth to the National Zomi American Eucharistic Congress. Newcomers are warmly welcomed.
Mass times at Immaculate Heart of Mary [Tonu Maria Siangtho Lungtang Biakinn]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:15 AM – 8:45 AM (Burmese/Zomi)
- Sunday 12:45 PM – 1:15 PM (Burmese/Zomi)
About Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish (Zomi: Tonu Maria Siangtho Lungtang Biakinn) is a Catholic parish in the Diocese of Tulsa that worships in the Zomi language. It is the only Burmese Catholic parish in the United States and serves the Zomi (Chin) people, an ethnic-minority Christian community from Chin State in northwestern Myanmar. The parish gathers Burmese refugees, immigrants, and their American-born children for the celebration of the Mass and sacraments in their native tongue.
- Also known as: Tonu Maria Siangtho Lungtang Biakinn
- Listed in the Diocese of Tulsa parish finder (Western Vicariate)
- Located in Tulsa, Oklahoma
History: America's Only Burmese Catholic Parish
The community traces its beginnings to a small group of roughly 25 Burmese Catholics who met in a room at Holy Family Cathedral in downtown Tulsa, with Monsignor Patrick Brankin serving as chaplain after Bishop Edward Slattery asked him to take on the ministry around 2010–2011. As Tulsa's Zomi population grew — accelerated after 2007 by U.S. State Department / UN refugee resettlement of Zomi from Myanmar through Malaysia — the community needed room of its own. The bishop proposed the building at 1541 E. Newton Place, a former Mexican-American parish (Our Lady of Guadalupe) that had stood empty after its members joined a larger Hispanic parish. After substantial renovation, the building was consecrated in fall 2012 and the Burmese congregation has been there ever since.
- Founded circa 2012 in a building that previously housed Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Building at 1541 E. Newton Pl in north Tulsa, bounded by highways and industrial areas
- Diocese of Tulsa currently lists the parish address at 4532 S. 25th West Ave., Tulsa, OK 74107-6635
The Zomi Catholic Community in Tulsa
Almost all of Immaculate Heart of Mary's parishioners are Zomi people from Chin State in northwestern Myanmar, who are predominantly Christian in a 90% Buddhist nation and who fled to the United States because of religious persecution. The Tulsa Zomi community — often called 'Zomi Town' — is the largest Zomi population in the U.S. (estimated at roughly 5,000 in 2016 and growing), with many members initially drawn to the city by the Catholic-sponsored Oral Roberts University and supported by organizations including Catholic Charities of Tulsa and the lay community group Zomi Innkuan USA.
- Zomi are an ethnic minority from Chin State, Myanmar
- Most Zomi Catholics fled religious persecution from Myanmar's military regimes
- Tulsa has the largest U.S. Zomi Catholic population
Parish Ministries and Community Life
The parish is run with strong lay leadership and partners with several diocesan and community organizations to support its members. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Tulsa (under Deacon Kevin Sartorius) has historically helped resettle Burmese refugees and has worked with the parish on practical needs such as transportation. The lay community organization Zomi Innkuan USA is also closely tied to parish life.
- Parish Council (5 officers listed above)
- Refugee resettlement support via Catholic Charities of Tulsa (Deacon Kevin Sartorius)
- Zomi Innkuan USA community organization partnership
- Faith formation for children and youth drawn from many young families
- Host parish role in the National Zomi American Eucharistic Congress (founded 2018)
National Zomi American Eucharistic Congress
In 2018, Pastor Fr. Robert Kimpu founded the National Zomi American Eucharistic Congress to bring Zomi Catholics across the United States together for fellowship, faith and the Eucharist. The first two congresses were held in 2018 and 2019 in Tulsa — the home of the nation's largest Zomi Catholic population — and subsequent congresses have been held in Indianapolis and Nashville. The congresses intentionally pair Eucharistic devotion with the Zomi language and culture, passing the faith on to younger generations.
Notable Facts
Quick points that make this parish distinctive.
- The only Burmese (Zomi/Chin) Catholic parish in the United States.
- Mass and confessions celebrated in the Zomi Tedim dialect of Burmese.
- Building dedicated in fall 2012; founded from a community that started meeting at Holy Family Cathedral.
- Tulsa is the largest Zomi community in the U.S., often called 'Zomi Town' or 'Zomi USA'.
- Pastor Fr. Robert Kimpu founded the National Zomi American Eucharistic Congress in 2018.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Monsignor Patrick Brankincirca 2011 – after building consecration in 2012
Asked by Bishop Edward Slattery to serve as chaplain for the original group of about 25 Burmese Catholics meeting at Holy Family Cathedral; instrumental in founding Immaculate Heart of Mary; oversaw the renovation of the Newton Place building and continued to serve the parish after handing primary pastoral duties to Fr. Kimpu.
- Rev. Robert Kimpu (Fr. Robert Kim)2012 – present (as listed on Diocese of Tulsa parish finder)
A Zomi Catholic priest from Chin State, Myanmar, who came to the U.S. to serve this parish; founder of the National Zomi American Eucharistic Congress in 2018; in July 2024 was additionally assigned as pastor of St. Catherine (Tulsa) and St. Joseph (Bristow).