About Saints Peter and Paul Apostles · Savannah, Georgia
Saints Peter and Paul (Sts. Peter & Paul) is a Vietnamese-Catholic parish in Savannah, Georgia, sharing the Nativity of Our Lord Church building on East Victory Drive. It was established in 1999 by Bishop Kevin Boland of the Diocese of Savannah to serve the Vietnamese Catholic community of the city and surrounding area, with a mission of preserving traditional Vietnamese Catholic faith, helping first- and second-generation immigrants continue to practice that faith in a new cultural setting, and assisting youth in carrying their faith into English-speaking daily life. The parish celebrates Mass in both English and Vietnamese, runs a Catechumen Catechism Course (RCIA), CCD religious education, First Communion and Confirmation preparation, and is governed by an active Parish Pastoral Council. It belongs to the Diocese of Savannah, currently led by Bishop Stephen D. Parkes, the diocese's 15th bishop.
- Established
- 1999
- Patron
- Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
- Rector
- Rev. Peter Hùng Nguyễn (Cha Peter Hùng Nguyễn — listed on the parish website as the contact priest for sacraments, including marriage preparation)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Savannah
Why belong here
Saints Peter and Paul is one of the few parishes in the Savannah area that celebrates the Roman liturgy in both English and Vietnamese every day of the week, making it a natural home for Vietnamese Catholics as well as English-speakers who want to share in that community. The parish offers the full sacramental life of a Roman Catholic parish — weekday and Sunday Mass, Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, and a Catechumen Catechism Course (RCIA) for those entering the Church — together with a livestreamed Sunday Mass for the homebound, an active Parish Pastoral Council, a CCD religious-education program, and a parish hall available for community use. Its mission explicitly couples preserving the traditional Vietnamese Catholic faith passed down from parents with helping the younger generation live that same faith in English, which gives the parish a distinctive bilingual, bicultural, and family-oriented character.
Mass times at Saints Peter and Paul Apostles
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity and Mission
Saints Peter and Paul Parish exists to serve the Vietnamese Catholic community of Savannah and the surrounding area. According to the parish's own mission statement, the community was established in 1999 by Bishop Kevin Boland and located within the Nativity of Our Lord Church on East Victory Drive, with three explicit aims: preserving and developing the traditional Catholicism of the Vietnamese in Savannah; helping those born and raised in the evangelized culture of Vietnam continue to practice their faith in a new milieu; and helping young people translate the Catholic faith they receive at home into English and incorporate it into daily life. The parish works in co-operation with the longer-established English-speaking congregation that has worshipped at the same church for years.
- Founded 1999 by Bishop Kevin Boland of the Diocese of Savannah
- Located at Nativity of Our Lord Church, 3115 East Victory Drive, Savannah
- Bilingual English/Vietnamese personal parish for the Vietnamese Catholic community of the Savannah area
Diocese of Savannah and Pastoral Leadership
Saints Peter and Paul is one of 55 parishes in the Diocese of Savannah, organized in the Savannah Deanery. The diocese is led by Bishop Stephen D. Parkes, the 15th Bishop of Savannah, who was appointed by Pope Francis on August 7, 2020 and episcopally ordained on September 23, 2020; he previously served as pastor of Annunciation Catholic Church in Longwood, Florida. The current priest in charge of the parish, identified on the parish website as the contact for the sacraments of Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation and Marriage, is Rev. Peter Hùng Nguyễn (Cha Peter Hùng Nguyễn).
- Diocese: Diocese of Savannah (Savannah Deanery)
- Bishop: Stephen D. Parkes, 15th Bishop of Savannah (appointed Aug. 7, 2020; ordained Sept. 23, 2020)
- Current priest in charge: Rev. Peter Hùng Nguyễn (Cha Peter Hùng Nguyễn)
- Former Parochial Administrator: Rev. Anthony Phong Kim Bui (so listed in diocesan clergy appointments, July 2021)
Parish Pastoral Council
The parish is governed by a formally structured Parish Pastoral Council. The Council has a Chairman, two Vice-Chairmen (Internal Service and External Service), a Secretary and a Treasurer, and is supported by six working committees covering Liturgy, Business Resources, Festivities, Maintenance, and Entertainment & Bulletin, with most members serving on more than one committee.
- Chairman: Mr. Dang Van Vinh
- Vice Chairman, Internal Service: Mr. Le Thanh Phuong
- Vice Chairman, External Service: Mr. Tong Viet Thi
- Secretary: Mrs. Hang Ta
- Treasurer: Mrs. Lua Tran
- Liturgy committee members: Mr. Tuan Vu, Mr. Thong Pham, Mr. Phung Tran
- Business Resources: Mrs. Thanh Tran, Mr. Huan Tran, Mr. Yen Nguyen
- Festivities: Mrs. Lua Tran, Mrs. Thanh Tran
- Maintenance: Mr. Phuong Le, Mr. Tien Nguyen, Mr. Phuoc Nguyen
- Entertainment & Bulletin: Mr. Luan Nguyen
Sacraments and Faith Formation
All the usual Roman Catholic sacraments are prepared for and celebrated at Saints Peter and Paul, with bilingual registration forms (English and Vietnamese) available on the parish Forms page. Couples preparing for marriage are asked to contact Fr. Peter Hùng Nguyễn at least four months before the wedding. Children attend CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) classes for ongoing religious education, while adults who wish to enter the Catholic Church are served by the parish's Catechumen Catechism Course, the parish's name for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).
- Baptism (Baptism Form, English and Vietnamese)
- First Communion (Đơn Xưng Tội Rước Lễ Lần Đầu / First Communion Form)
- Confirmation (conferred by Bishop Parkes; Confirmation Form)
- Marriage — contact Fr. Peter Hùng Nguyễn at least four months in advance
- Catechumen Catechism Course (RCIA) for inquirers
- CCD Class Registration for children
Prayers and Devotions
The parish maintains a 'Prayers for Everyday' page that pairs a different prayer intention with each day of the week, giving the community a simple daily devotional rhythm alongside the Mass schedule. The prayers reflect both a Vietnamese Catholic devotional sensibility and the universal Roman Catholic treasury of prayer to the Holy Spirit, the guardian angels, Saint Joseph, the Holy Eucharist, Christ our Saviour, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and God in the Holy Trinity.
- Monday — Prayer to the Holy Spirit
- Tuesday — Prayer to Guardian Angels
- Wednesday — Prayer to Saint Joseph
- Thursday — Prayer to Jesus Christ, the Holy Eucharist
- Friday — Prayer to Jesus Christ our Saviour
- Saturday — Prayer to the Virgin Mary
- Sunday — Prayer for the Blessing of the Faith
Parish Bulletin, Hall and Community Life
Practical parish life is supported by a weekly bulletin, posted on the Pastoral page of the website, and by a parish hall that parishioners can reserve for personal use (a Parish Hall Rental Form is provided). The parish homepage also highlights seasonal community events, including the Vietnamese celebration of Tết (Lunar New Year) and sacramental milestones such as First Communion and Confirmation with the Bishop, alongside Sunday Mass and the livestream.
- Weekly parish bulletin (linked from the Pastoral page)
- Parish Hall rental for personal use (Parish Hall Rental Form)
- Annual Tết Nguyên Đán (Lunar New Year) celebration
- Sunday Mass livestream in English and Vietnamese
- Registration Form for new parishioners (Đơn Xin Nhập Xứ / Parish Registration Form)
Visiting Saints Peter and Paul
The parish is located at 3115 East Victory Drive, Savannah, GA 31404, in Chatham County, sharing the Nativity of Our Lord Church campus with another English-language Catholic congregation. The phone number is (912) 354-4014 and the general email is [email protected]. Published driving directions on third-party parish directories direct visitors to take I-16 exit 165, go ten lights, turn right at one light, then turn left onto Victory Drive and continue to the 13th light.
- Address: 3115 East Victory Drive, Savannah, GA 31404
- Phone: (912) 354-4014
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.cgvnsavannah.org/
- Diocese: Diocese of Savannah (Savannah Deanery)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Anthony Phong Kim Buithrough at least July 2021
Listed by the Diocese of Savannah and The Southern Cross as Parochial Administrator of Saints Peter and Paul Church, Savannah, in the diocesan clergy-appointments announcement of July 2021. Later reassigned as Mission Administrator of Holy Martyrs of Vietnam Mission in Martinez, GA.