About Our Lady of Perpetual Help · Kearns, Utah
Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Giáo Xứ Đức Mẹ Hằng Cứu Giúp) is a Vietnamese Catholic parish in Kearns, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City, and the spiritual home for most of Utah's Vietnamese American Catholics. Established on September 4, 1994 as a diocesan mission by the Diocese of Salt Lake City, it was formally designated a parish in the year 2000 and dedicated a new church building on November 8, 2003 by Bishop Niederauer. Liturgy is celebrated primarily in Vietnamese, with English used alongside it, and Mass is offered daily as well as on Sunday. The parish serves as both a worship community and a cultural refuge for a largely refugee-descended congregation.
- Established
- 1994
- Patron
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help
- Rector
- Rev. Phaolô Nguyễn Trọng Tài (Pastor / Chánh Xứ)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salt Lake City
Why belong here
Our Lady of Perpetual Help is the only Vietnamese-heritage Catholic parish in Utah and offers a rare combination of bilingual Vietnamese-English liturgy in the Roman-Latin rite, a tight-knit refugee-descended community, and a pastor personally known to every child by name. Daily Mass, weekday Eucharistic adoration, regular confession, Vietnamese language and traditional catechism classes, and an active annual summer festival make it a cultural and spiritual anchor for Vietnamese Catholic families across the Salt Lake Valley.
Mass times at Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 4:15 PM – 4:45 PM (parish site lists 4:30 PM – 4:45 PM)
- Sunday: 9:30 AM – 9:50 AM (parish site also lists 8:30–8:50 AM and 10:30–10:50 AM)
- Or by appointment (theo giờ hẹn)
Adoration times
- Thursday: 8:15 AM (Chầu Thánh Thể / Holy Eucharist Benediction)
- Friday: 8:15 AM
- Saturday: 8:15 AM
- Sunday: 8:15 AM
Parish Identity and History
Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Giáo Xứ Đức Mẹ Hằng Cứu Giúp) is the Vietnamese-heritage Catholic parish of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, located in Kearns on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley. It was founded September 4, 1994 as the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Vietnamese Catholic Center under founding director Rev. Thuy Dang Ha, was raised to parish status in 2000, and celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2024.
- Established September 4, 1994 by the Diocese of Salt Lake City
- Elevated to parish status in 2000
- New church dedicated by Bishop Niederauer on November 8, 2003
- 30th anniversary celebrated in 2024 ('30 năm hành trình Đức Tin')
Founding Pastor: Father Dominic Thuy Dang Ha
Father Thuy (Rev. Dominic Thuy Dang Ha) is the founding director and longtime pastor of the parish. A Vietnamese refugee who left Vietnam in 1979 and finished seminary in Columbus, Ohio in 1981, he built the community by blending Vietnamese and English in the liturgy and personally taught both children and parents. He oversaw the construction and 2003 dedication of the new church and is now listed by the diocese as the contact for the wider Vietnamese and Hmong Catholic communities of Utah.
- Left Vietnam 1979; ordained after studies in Columbus, Ohio (1981)
- Sent to Utah by the Diocese of Salt Lake City
- Known for blending Vietnamese and English in liturgy and homily
- Oversaw 2003 dedication of new church and center
Current Pastor: Rev. Phaolô Nguyễn Trọng Tài
The parish's official Contact page (Liên Lạc) lists Rev. Phaolô Nguyễn Trọng Tài as the current Pastor (Chánh Xứ), reachable through the parish office at 385-343-5625.
- Listed as Chánh Xứ / Pastor on vietnamcatholicslc.org
- Contact: 385-343-5625
Parish Life and Vietnamese Cultural Heritage
Beyond Sunday worship, the parish is a cultural anchor for Utah's Vietnamese Catholics, blending catechesis with Vietnamese language classes and intergenerational fellowship. Parishioners came to Utah largely as refugees beginning in 1975; the church community has stepped in as extended family for raising children and transmitting Vietnamese culture and language.
- Vietnamese language classes for parishioners
- Traditional catechism classes for children
- Friendship hour after Mass in the converted older chapel
- Active parish choir
Annual Vietnamese Summer Carnival
A signature parish tradition is the annual Vietnamese Summer Carnival, which by 2003 was already in its seventh year. The day-long event features abundant Vietnamese food, dance performances and games, with proceeds going to the church's renovation and maintenance fund.
- Held annually (by 2003 already in its 7th year)
- Vietnamese food, dance performances, games
- Proceeds support church renovation and maintenance fund
Facilities and Location
The parish occupies a brick church and center at 4360 West 5415 South in Kearns, UT 84118, with a separate older chapel that has been converted into a dining hall, retreat center and fellowship space. The parish lot typically fills 20 minutes before Sunday Mass, with overflow parking on adjacent streets.
- Address: 4360 West 5415 South, Kearns, UT 84118
- New church dedicated November 8, 2003
- Older chapel now functions as dining hall, retreat center and friendship-hour space
- Phone: 385-343-5625
Diocese and Wider Vietnamese Catholic Ministry
Our Lady of Perpetual Help sits within the Diocese of Salt Lake City and is recognized as the principal Vietnamese Catholic parish in Utah. The diocese's Ethnic Ministries office lists Father Dominic Thuy Dang Ha as the contact for both the Vietnamese and Hmong Catholic communities across the state.
- Diocese of Salt Lake City
- Identified as Vietnamese Catholic Center on the diocesan parish finder
- Diocese contact for Vietnamese/Hmong Catholics: Rev. Dominic Thuy Dang Ha (801-968-8981)
Online and Media Presence
The parish maintains a bilingual website (Vietnamese and English) at vietnamcatholicslc.org and livestreams Mass on a linked YouTube channel, allowing homebound parishioners and the wider diaspora to participate in liturgies.
- Official site: https://vietnamcatholicslc.org/english
- Vietnamese-language homepage at vietnamcatholicslc.org
- Livestreamed Mass on YouTube channel
- Parish pages include: Mass Times, Calendar, Parish Forms, Parish History, Weekly Giving
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Dominic Thuy Dang Ha1994–circa 2020s
Founding director and longtime pastor; left Vietnam in 1979, finished seminary in Columbus, Ohio (1981); oversaw 2003 dedication of new church and 30th anniversary celebration in 2024.
- Rev. Phaolô Nguyễn Trọng Tài
Current pastor listed on parish Contact page.