About St. Andrew Dung-Lac · Lansing, Michigan
St. Andrew Dung-Lac is a Vietnamese Roman Catholic parish in Lansing, Michigan, and the only Vietnamese parish in the Diocese of Lansing. Founded in 1998 to serve the spiritual and cultural needs of Greater Lansing's Vietnamese Catholic community — many of whom came as refugees after the fall of Saigon — the parish is named for St. Andrew Dũng-Lạc, a 19th-century Vietnamese priest martyred in 1839 and one of the 117 Vietnamese Martyrs canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1988. Masses are celebrated in Vietnamese with elements of English, and the community is well known locally for its annual Vietnamese summer festival. The parish is currently led by Father Peter Doan.
- Established
- 1998
- Patron
- St. Andrew Dũng-Lạc (Andrew Trần An Dũng Lạc)
- Rector
- Rev. Peter Doan
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lansing
Why belong here
St. Andrew Dung-Lac is the spiritual home of the Vietnamese Catholic community in Lansing and the surrounding region — a place where Mass, prayer, formation and social life are kept firmly in Vietnamese tradition while also welcoming younger and non-Vietnamese members. The parish offers daily Vietnamese-language Masses, Eucharistic Adoration, weekday Confession, bilingual religious education and Vietnamese language classes for children, a flourishing Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement (VEYM), an active Vietnamese women's chapter of the St. Monica Mothers' organization, and parish-wide cultural events such as the annual Vietnamese Festival and biweekly Sunday community lunches. Anyone who walks in for the Sunday 11 a.m. Mass — bilingual pastor Father Peter Doan happily notes — is welcomed.
Mass times at St. Andrew Dung-Lac
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 10:15 AM
- Tuesday–Friday: 30 minutes before Mass (4:00 PM in winter)
Adoration times
- Thursday: 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM (1st Thursday of winter months)
- Thursday: 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
History of St. Andrew Dung-Lac Parish
St. Andrew Dung-Lac was established in 1998 as a personal Vietnamese parish of the Diocese of Lansing, the spiritual home of Vietnamese Catholics resettled in mid-Michigan after the fall of Saigon. The community's roots go back to 1982, when Father Joseph Tran — ordained in Saigon in 1974 — began ministering to Vietnamese Catholics from St. Mary Cathedral. After Father Joseph's 2011 retirement, the parish moved from the former Cristo Rey site in south Lansing to the former Holy Cross Catholic Church on West Oakland Avenue on Lansing's west side around 2013. The parish marked its 25th anniversary in November 2023 with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Earl Boyea on the eve of its patronal feast day.
Founding and the First Pastor
Father Joseph Tran, ordained in the Archdiocese of Saigon in 1974, arrived in the Diocese of Lansing in 1982 to serve Vietnamese Catholics resettled after 1975. For sixteen years he celebrated Mass and administered the sacraments from St. Mary Cathedral. In 1998 Bishop Cooney appointed him first pastor of the new St. Andrew Dung-Lac Parish, which initially gathered at the former Cristo Rey campus in south Lansing. Father Joseph served as pastor until his retirement in 2011 and died on Jan. 7, 2022, age 77; a memorial Mass was held at the parish on Jan. 15, 2022.
Move to the Former Holy Cross Church
Around 2013 St. Andrew Dung-Lac relocated into the former Holy Cross Catholic Church building at 1611 West Oakland Avenue after Holy Cross had closed in 2009 and merged with St. Mary Cathedral. Diocese spokesman Michael Diebold said the west-side campus offered 'more worship space' for a growing community, and Bishop Boyea cited the increasing cost of repairs to aging structures as a factor in the closure.
25th Anniversary and the Parish's Future
On Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, Bishop Earl Boyea joined the parish for Mass ahead of the Nov. 24 patronal feast, marking 25 years of St. Andrew Dung-Lac. The anniversary story in FAITH Magazine focused on the tension between an older generation of Vietnamese-speaking parishioners and a younger, English-immersed one. Father Peter Doan, named pastor in August 2023, has made reaching that younger generation and Vietnamese students at Michigan State University his primary goal.
Patron Saint: Andrew Dũng-Lạc
The parish takes its name from Andrew Trần An Dũng-Lạc, a Vietnamese Roman Catholic priest born around 1795 in northern Vietnam. Baptized at age twelve after meeting a Christian catechist in Hanoi, he was ordained a priest in 1823. During the persecutions of Emperor Minh Mạng, he was repeatedly arrested and finally beheaded in Hanoi on December 21, 1839. Pope John Paul II canonized him together with 116 companion Vietnamese Martyrs on June 19, 1988, and the group is commemorated together on November 24. A large portrait of St. Andrew Dũng-Lạc hangs behind the altar at the parish and is one of the first things visitors see.
- Canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 19, 1988, as one of 117 Vietnamese Martyrs
- Feast day: November 24
- Patron of the Diocese of Orange (California)
Sunday Mass
Sunday Mass at St. Andrew Dung-Lac is at 11:00 a.m., preceded by Confessions at 10:15 a.m. It is celebrated in Vietnamese — including chant, readings and most of the homily — though Father Peter Doan addresses the children in English.
Weekday Masses
Daily Mass is offered Tuesday through Friday at 5:00 p.m. (4:30 p.m. during winter months) and on Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m.
Parish Ministries and Faith Formation
Beyond the Sunday Mass, the parish runs a full program of religious education and lay ministries. Before the 11 a.m. Mass, Sr. Therese Vu oversees two hours of bilingual religious education and Vietnamese language lessons for children. The diocese staff directory lists ministries for Christian Initiation (adult and youth), Faith Formation, Religious Education (youth), Marriage Prep, Family Life, Evangelization, Worship/Liturgy, Funeral Ministry, Building and Facilities, Music, and Youth Ministry.
- Christian Initiation — Adult
- Christian Initiation — Youth
- Faith Formation
- Religious Education (Youth)
- Marriage Preparation
- Family Life Ministry
- Funeral Ministry
- Worship / Liturgy
- Evangelization
- Music Ministry (Tram Phan, Music Director)
- Building / Facilities / Maintenance (Trung Nguyen)
Vietnamese Catholic Community Life
The parish is the cultural and social anchor of Vietnamese Catholic life in Lansing. Biweekly, the parish basement becomes a pop-up restaurant serving families and visitors, some of whom drive in from over an hour away. The annual Vietnamese Festival, held each summer (the 2016 festival was the 9th), fills the parking lot with musicians, dancers and volunteers serving restaurant-quality pho, spring rolls, bánh cam and other Vietnamese dishes, and draws several thousand people. The day's events include traditional Vietnamese dancing on Sunday, American bands Friday and Saturday, and visiting Vietnamese singers from across several states.
Youth Ministry and the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement
Sunday lunch is followed by a meeting of the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement (VEYM), a thriving international organization whose uniform-clad children and leaders have been a particular source of hope for Father Peter Doan as he works to engage the younger generation. The diocese also lists a separate Youth Ministry under the direction of Trung Nguyen, and Father Peter has opened the church gym for pickup basketball as another way to connect with teens.
St. Monica Vietnamese Women's Organization
When Sr. Therese Vu arrived at the parish in 2014, one of her first projects was establishing a Vietnamese women's organization chapter dedicated to St. Monica, one of the patron saints of mothers. Members process into Mass in matching traditional floor-length tunics on the feast of St. Monica each August.
Parish Staff and Religious
The parish staff, as listed in the Diocese of Lansing directory, includes priests, religious sisters and lay staff covering liturgy, music, formation, administration and facilities. Three Vietnamese Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres serve at the parish; Sr. Therese Vu plays a leading role in faith formation and the Vietnamese women's organization.
- Rev. Peter Doan — Pastor
- Rev. Joseph Kim — Priest (per diocese staff directory)
- Sr. Therese Vu — Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres (faith formation / Vietnamese women's organization, joined 2014)
- Tram Phan — Music Director
- Trung Nguyen — Building / Facilities / Maintenance, Funeral Ministry, Youth Ministry
- Jennifer Le — Accounting / Bookkeeping
- Jennifer Tran — Bookkeeper
Sacraments at the Parish
The parish prepares members for Baptism (through both the youth and adult Christian Initiation processes), offers Marriage Preparation, ministers at funerals, and hears Confessions on Sunday mornings and before each weekday Mass. Holy Day Masses are offered at 8:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
- Baptism / Christian Initiation — Adult
- Baptism / Christian Initiation — Youth
- First Reconciliation and First Communion (through Religious Education)
- Marriage Preparation
- Anointing of the Sick (on request)
- Funeral Ministry
- Confession / Reconciliation
Visit, Address, and Contact
St. Andrew Dung-Lac is located at 1611 West Oakland Avenue, Lansing, MI 48915, on Lansing's west side, occupying the campus of the former Holy Cross Catholic Church. The parish office can be reached at 517-580-7557. Handicap parking is available on site. The parish's official page is hosted on the Diocese of Lansing website.
- Address: 1611 West Oakland Avenue, Lansing, MI 48915
- Phone: 517-580-7557
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocese page: dioceseoflansing.org/parish/st-andrew-dung-lac-lansing
- Handicap parking available
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph Tran1998–2011
First pastor; ordained in Saigon 1974; came to Lansing 1982; previously ministered to Vietnamese Catholics from St. Mary Cathedral; retired 2011; died Jan. 7, 2022, age 77.
- Rev. Joseph Kim
Listed as Pastor in the Diocese of Lansing parish-staff directory.
- Rev. Peter Doan2023–present
Appointed August 2023; previously in Seattle; focuses on reaching younger, English-speaking parishioners and Vietnamese students at Michigan State University.