About Our Lady of La Vang · San Jose, California
Our Lady of La Vang (Giáo Xứ Đức Mẹ La Vang / Iglesia Católica Nuestra Señora de La Vang) is a Vietnamese national Catholic parish in downtown San Jose, California, located one block north of San José State University at 389 E. Santa Clara Street. Originally founded in 1872 as St. Patrick Parish, it served as the cathedral of the Diocese of San Jose from 1981 to 1990 and was renamed Our Lady of La Vang in 2013 to reflect its mission as the spiritual home of the Vietnamese Catholic community of Silicon Valley. After a devastating three-alarm fire destroyed the building on August 31, 2012, the parish worshipped for eleven years in school gyms and other borrowed spaces before Bishop Oscar Cantú dedicated the newly rebuilt church on May 13, 2023. Today it is a trilingual parish (Vietnamese, English, and Spanish) celebrating multiple daily and weekend Masses, hosting large annual Marian Days and Tết festivals, and serving as the anchor for Vietnamese Catholic ministry across the diocese.
- Established
- 1872 (as St. Patrick Parish); renamed Our Lady of La Vang on April 28, 2013
- Patron
- Our Lady of La Vang (Đức Mẹ La Vang) — the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of her approved 1798 apparition at La Vang, Quảng Trị, Vietnam
- Rector
- Rev. Justin Lê Trung Tướng (Fr. Justin Le) — Pastor and Vicar of Vietnamese Ministry for the Diocese of San Jose
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose (formerly Diocese of San José)
Why belong here
Our Lady of La Vang is the spiritual heart of the Vietnamese Catholic community in Silicon Valley and a welcoming trilingual parish that celebrates the Eucharist in Vietnamese, English, and Spanish every day of the week. It offers a rich sacramental and devotional life — daily Mass, perpetual Vietnamese devotion to Our Lady, RCIA, marriage preparation, religious education in Vietnamese, youth ministry, and the bilingual Emmanuel Youth Choir that sings the Saturday 4:00 PM English/Vietnamese Mass. Beyond the liturgy, the parish hosts two of the largest Vietnamese Catholic gatherings on the West Coast — the annual Marian Days Congress and the Tết Festival — making it a true anchor of faith, family, and Vietnamese-American Catholic identity in downtown San Jose.
Mass times at Our Lady of La Vang
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Arrivals: come 30 minutes before Sunday Mass
- Or by appointment with a parish priest
Adoration times
- Adoration night with the Vietnamese Youth (held during the annual Marian Days Congress in August)
- Eucharistic Adoration is offered during the parish's major devotional gatherings
History of Our Lady of La Vang Parish
Our Lady of La Vang carries 150+ years of Catholic history in downtown San Jose. Originally founded in 1872 as St. Patrick Parish under Father Joseph Gallagher, it grew alongside the city: a Gothic church at Ninth and Santa Clara was finished in 1888, destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and rebuilt within a year. A more modern church replaced it in 1967 at Eighth and Santa Clara, and from 1981 to 1990 St. Patrick's served as the cathedral of the Diocese of San Jose. After the cathedra moved to St. Joseph's, the parish became St. Patrick Proto-Cathedral. On July 1, 1999, Bishop Patrick J. McGrath designated it as a personal parish for the Vietnamese Catholic community, and in 2002 it formally transitioned to a national parish. On April 28, 2013, Bishop McGrath renamed it Our Lady of La Vang after the approved 1798 Marian apparition at La Vang, Vietnam.
- 1872 — Parish founded as St. Patrick, Father Joseph Gallagher, first pastor
- 1888 — Original Gothic church completed at Ninth & Santa Clara
- 1906 — Church destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake; rebuilt within a year
- 1967 — Second church built at Eighth & Santa Clara
- 1981–1990 — Served as Cathedral of the Diocese of San Jose
- 1999 — Bishop McGrath establishes it as a personal parish for Vietnamese Catholics
- 2002 — Becomes a Vietnamese national parish
- April 28, 2013 — Renamed Our Lady of La Vang
- August 31, 2012 — Three-alarm fire destroys the building
- 2017 — Ruins demolished
- May 13, 2023 — Bishop Oscar Cantú dedicates the rebuilt church
The 2012 Fire and the Eleven-Year Rebuild
In the early morning of August 31, 2012, a three-alarm fire gutted the proto-cathedral. For the next eleven years the Vietnamese Catholic community of San Jose worshipped in school gymnasiums, parish halls, and other borrowed spaces while fund-raising, planning, and construction slowly moved forward. Then-pastor Father Loi Huynh traveled from Vietnam to Italy to source materials that would tell the story of Vietnamese Catholicism, resulting in detailed wooden reliefs, a hand-embroidered silk-thread mural from Saigon in the vestibule, and a 19-foot exterior Carrara marble statue of Our Lady of La Vang carved by Italian sculptor Greg Mussner. When Bishop Oscar Cantú dedicated the rebuilt church on May 13, 2023, parishioner Hieu Tran said, 'At last, the dream of a rebuilt church, which took many years to come true, was realized. Thanks be to God!'
- Fire: August 31, 2012 (three-alarm)
- Demolition: 2017
- Design lead: Father Loi Huynh (then-pastor)
- Statue: 19-ft Carrara marble by Italian sculptor Greg Mussner
- Vestibule mural: hand-embroidered silk thread from Saigon
- Wooden reliefs depict the story of Catholicism in Vietnam
- Dedication: May 13, 2023 by Bishop Oscar Cantú
Architecture and Sacred Art
The 2023 church was designed with a striking Vietnamese cultural signature. Its floor plan evokes the legend of Lang Liêu, who presented the Emperor with a square green rice cake, Bánh Chưng (the 'square earth'), and a round pearl cake, Bánh Dày (the 'round sky'); together they symbolize the harmony of heaven and earth. A square sanctuary sits beneath an octagonally roofed structure, and the cream-colored stone interior is flooded with light from high skylights. A mosaic of radiating tiles forms the central crucifix behind the altar. Wood reliefs tell the story of Vietnamese Catholicism, while a hand-embroidered silk mural from Saigon overlooks the vestibule and the marble statue of Our Lady of La Vang greets visitors outside.
- Floor plan inspired by Lang Liêu's Bánh Chưng / Bánh Dày legend
- Octagonal roof over a square sanctuary
- Radiating-tile crucifix mosaic behind the altar
- Wooden reliefs of Vietnamese Catholic history
- Hand-embroidered Saigon silk mural in the vestibule
- 19-foot Carrara marble Our Lady of La Vang statue by Greg Mussner
Clergy and Parish Staff
The parish is currently served by a pastor and three parochial vicars, supported by two permanent deacons, religious sisters, and lay coordinators for catechesis, finance, and parish administration. The pastor also serves as Vicar of Vietnamese Ministry for the Diocese of San Jose, making the parish the diocesan hub for Vietnamese Catholic life in the South Bay.
- Pastor: Rev. Justin Lê Trung Tướng (Fr. Justin Le) — also Vicar of Vietnamese Ministry
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Vincentê Nguyễn Đình Truyền
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Anthony Nguyễn Duy Tân
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Giuse Vũ Đăng Khoa (Fr. Khoa Vũ) — Director of Facilities; Deputy Head of Marian Days Organizing Committee
- Deacon Đôminicô Lê Văn Thọ — Marriage Preparation Coordinator
- Deacon Giuse Chu Quang Định — RCIA Coordinator
- Parish Administrator: Sr. Anna Nguyễn Phức Vân, L.H.C. — also Catechism & Vietnamese Language School
- Administrative Assistant: Sr. Theresa Nguyễn Thị Sáng, L.S.S.
- Finance & Bookkeeper: Mrs. Eleanor Figueroa
- Construction & ADA Fund: Mrs. Têrêsa Lê Kim Oanh
- Pastoral Council President: Mr. Giacôbê Nguyễn Văn Tấn
- Liturgy Committee Head: Mr. Giuse Nguyễn Kim Ngân
Faith Formation and Sacraments
Faith formation at Our Lady of La Vang includes catechism classes for children and Vietnamese-language instruction, the RCIA process for adults seeking baptism or full communion with the Catholic Church, and a marriage preparation program required for couples preparing for the sacrament of Matrimony.
- Children's Catechism & Vietnamese Language Classes — Sr. Anna Nguyễn Phức Vân, L.H.C.
- RCIA — Deacon Giuse Chu Quang Định
- Marriage Preparation Class — Deacon Đôminicô Lê Văn Thọ & Mrs. Oanh (contact at least 6 months before the wedding)
- Baptism, Confirmation, First Communion — contact the parish office
- Anointing of the Sick — on-call priest line (408) 444-1770
Music and Youth Ministry
Music is central to the parish's liturgical life. The Emmanuel Youth Choir, founded on September 22, 2018, by Father Loi Huynh and Father Thong Nguyen specifically to serve the Vietnamese youth, sings at the Saturday 4:00 PM English/Vietnamese Mass at the church on Santa Clara Street. The Vietnamese Lasallian Youth Troupe performs traditional music at major feast-day celebrations, including the 2023 dedication. Youth also take part in an Adoration Night during the annual Marian Days Congress.
- Emmanuel Youth Choir — founded September 22, 2018; sings Saturday 4:00 PM Mass
- Vietnamese Lasallian Youth Troupe — traditional music at feast days
- Youth Adoration Night (during Marian Days)
- Practice typically 30 minutes before and after Mass
Marian Days Congress and Vietnamese Catholic Festivals
Each August the parish hosts the Marian Days Congress of Our Lady of La Vang, a multi-day pilgrimage and cultural festival that draws thousands of Vietnamese Catholics from across California and beyond. Solemn liturgies, devotional gatherings, a youth Adoration night, cultural performances, and a vibrant parish festival at Eastridge Mall are all part of the celebration. The 2026 Congress (August 13–15) carries the theme 'Loved by Mary — Loving Like Mary.' The parish also hosts the annual Vietnamese Catholic Tết Festival at Eastridge Mall, gathering over 10,000 guests to celebrate the Lunar New Year with prayer Masses, music, food, and fireworks.
- 3rd Marian Days Congress: August 13–15, 2026 at Eastridge Mall (theme: 'Loved by Mary — Loving Like Mary')
- Parish Festival: August 15–16, 2026
- Annual Tết (Lunar New Year) Festival at Eastridge Mall
- Commemoration Mass for Black April (Fall of Saigon, April 30)
- Fr. Justin Le — Head of the Organizing Committee
- Fr. Khoa Vũ — Deputy Head of the Organizing Committee
St. Patrick Elementary School
Even after the parish was renamed in 2013, the parish school retained its historic name: St. Patrick Elementary School. Sponsored by the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul and located on the church grounds, the school served as the spiritual and physical hub of the parish during the eleven years of rebuilding after the 2012 fire, when Masses were celebrated in its gymnasium.
- Sponsored by the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul
- Located on the parish grounds in downtown San Jose
- School phone: (408) 283-5858
- Served as temporary worship space 2012–2023
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Joseph Gallagher1872 (founding)
First pastor of the original St. Patrick Parish.
- Father Loi Huynh
Pastored during the 2012 fire; traveled to Vietnam and Italy to design and source materials for the rebuilt church, including the marble statue and Vietnamese iconography.
- Rev. Justin Lê Trung Tướng (Fr. Justin Le)current
Current pastor; also serves as Vicar of Vietnamese Ministry for the Diocese of San Jose and head of the Marian Days Organizing Committee.