About Our Lady of Vilna · Worcester, Massachusetts
Our Lady of Vilna is a Roman Catholic parish in the Vernon Hill neighborhood of Worcester, Massachusetts, belonging to the Diocese of Worcester. The parish was founded in 1925 as a Lithuanian-American community and built its present Gothic Revival church on Sterling Street during the interwar Lithuanian–Polish conflict over Vilnius, taking its name from the Lithuanian capital. After decades of demographic change, the parish transitioned in 2002 from Lithuanian to Vietnamese Catholic worship under diocesan leadership and today serves the Worcester Vietnamese Catholic community, with Mass celebrated in Vietnamese and English. The interior still bears an unusually rich collection of Lithuanian inscriptions and saint iconography, making it both a living Vietnamese parish and the last church of its name in the United States.
- Established
- 1925
- Patron
- Our Lady of Vilna (the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of the Lithuanian capital Vilnius)
- Rector
- Peter Tam M. Bui
- Diocese
- Diocese of Worcester
Why belong here
Our Lady of Vilna is the spiritual home of the Worcester Vietnamese Catholic community, offering Mass in Vietnamese several days a week alongside English celebrations, plus weekly Confession before each weekday and Saturday Vigil Mass. Parishioners gather as refugees and descendants of refugees who fled Communist Vietnam, supported by Catholic Charities and the Sisters of Mercy from 1981 onward, and the parish remains a tight-knit family that has historically supported seminarians and welcomed neighbors in need. Worshipping here also means preserving a piece of Worcester's Lithuanian heritage, since the striking Gothic Revival church is the last parish of its name in the United States and still bears Lithuanian inscriptions inside.
Mass times at Our Lady of Vilna
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 5:45 PM – 5:55 PM
- Thursday 5:45 PM – 5:55 PM
- Friday 5:45 PM – 5:55 PM
- Saturday 5:30 PM – 5:50 PM
Parish History
Our Lady of Vilna was founded in 1925 as Worcester's second Lithuanian national parish, after St. Casimir (founded 1894 on Providence Street). The Gothic Revival church on Sterling Street was built during the Lithuanian–Polish struggle over Vilnius and takes its name from the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius — known in the interwar Polish period as Wilno and to many emigrants as Vilna. The hill the church stands on was historically called Gediminas Hill, after the founder of Vilnius, and nearby Gediminas Street survives as a reminder of the neighborhood's identity. By the 1970s the Lithuanian congregation had dwindled and English-language Masses predominated; in 2002 the parish formally transitioned to serve the Worcester Vietnamese Catholic community, which had worshipped at St. John's on Temple Street since arriving in the diocese beginning in 1977.
- Founded 1925 as Worcester's second Lithuanian national parish
- Built circa 1925 in Gothic Revival style on Sterling Street, Vernon Hill
- Name references Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital; built during the interwar Vilnius dispute
- Historically called Gediminas Hill; nearby Gediminas Street still exists
- Vietnamese Ministry transferred from St. John's to Our Lady of Vilna in 2002
Lithuanian Heritage & Architecture
Despite the parish's transition to Vietnamese Catholic worship, the interior of Our Lady of Vilna remains one of the most thoroughly Lithuanian-decorated Lithuanian-American churches in the country. The saints behind the altar carry Lithuanian names, and Lithuanian inscriptions appear throughout the building. A World War II memorial honoring seven local Lithuanians who died for the United States once stood in front of the church, with the veterans' names spelled in Lithuanian characters rather than the Anglicized forms used by U.S. immigration authorities; this memorial was removed around 2022.
- Gothic Revival exterior; interior rich in Lithuanian inscriptions
- Saints behind the altar labeled in Lithuanian
- Last 'Our Lady of Vilna' parish in the United States
- WWII memorial of seven Lithuanian-American servicemen removed c. 2022
Vietnamese Catholic Community
The Vietnamese Catholic presence in the Diocese of Worcester began in 1977, when refugees from Communist Vietnam — many of them boat people — were sponsored by Catholic Charities, particularly Monsignor Edmond T. Tinsley, and the Sisters of Mercy (Srs. Carol Kell, Janet Ballentine, and Mary Barry). The community initially gathered at St. John's Church on Temple Street. In 2002, Fr. Phuong Van Nguyen, the diocese's first Director of the Vietnamese Apostolate, oversaw the move to Our Lady of Vilna. The community marked 40 years in the diocese with a Mass and reception at the parish in 2017. Worshippers today are mostly refugees and descendants of refugees, and the parish is known for the strong, family-like bonds among its members, including long-standing lay ministers such as Eucharistic ministers and lectors.
- Vietnamese Apostolate in the Worcester diocese since 1977
- Sponsored by Catholic Charities, Msgr. Edmond T. Tinsley, and Sisters of Mercy
- Transitioned from St. John's to Our Lady of Vilna in 2002
- 40th anniversary of the Vietnamese community celebrated at the parish in 2017
Parish Ministries & Devotions
Our Lady of Vilna supports the broader diocesan Vietnamese Apostolate and the spiritual life of Worcester's Vietnamese Catholics. Lay faithful serve as Eucharistic Ministers and Lectors, and the community is known for supporting seminarians and assisting families in need. The church remains open for individual prayer, and Lithuanian visitors are welcome to pray in the historic building.
- Diocesan Vietnamese Apostolate
- Eucharistic Ministry
- Lector Ministry
- Seminarian support and family outreach
Visit & Location
Our Lady of Vilna is located on Sterling Street on Worcester's Vernon Hill. The parish phone line is (508) 752-1825. The address is given as 151 Sterling Street, Worcester, MA 01610 (the rectory appears as 153 Sterling Street on some mapping services). The church sits on a hilltop — the elevation is noticeable when walking up to the front doors — and preserves the Gothic Revival character of its 1920s construction.
- 151 Sterling Street (rectory 153 Sterling Street), Worcester, MA 01610
- Phone: (508) 752-1825
- Vernon Hill neighborhood
- Parish listing on parishesonline.com
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Alphonse A. Volungis1969 – retirement (served more than 30 years)
Native Worcester son and former associate pastor of the parish before becoming pastor in 1969; also spiritual advisor for Council 116 Knights of Lithuania.
- Rev. Phuong Van Nguyen2002 – 2004
Named temporary administrator on June 14, 2002; oversaw the transition of the Vietnamese Ministry from St. John's Church to Our Lady of Vilna; also Diocesan Director of the Vietnamese Apostolate; died Good Friday, April 9, 2004.