About St. John Vianney · Louisville, Kentucky
St. John Vianney Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in southern Louisville, Kentucky, founded in 1951 and serving a richly multicultural community of approximately 900 parishioners of Vietnamese, African, and European descent. What began as a mid-century parish with an associated school has, since the 1990s, been transformed by Vietnamese Catholic immigrants who established Vietnamese-language religious education, RCIA, Confirmation, and Pre-Cana programs, built the Shrine of Our Lady of La-Vang in 2001, and renovated the church in 2005. Today the parish is a stewardship community that seeks to be a harmonious presence among immigrants of Buddhist, Muslim, and other faiths, offering most of its Masses in Vietnamese.
- Established
- 1951
- Patron
- St. John Vianney (Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney, the Curé d'Ars)
- Rector
- Rev. Minh D. Vu
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Louisville
Why belong here
St. John Vianney is a small but vibrant parish where Vietnamese, African, and European Catholic traditions meet, making it a warm home for immigrants and for anyone seeking a multicultural, family-centered faith community. The parish is celebrated for its strong Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Society, its distinctive Shrine of Our Lady of La-Vang, and its outreach to the Cathedral's soup kitchen, Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, and the local Food for the Poor program. With daily Vietnamese Masses, weekend English and Vietnamese Masses, Eucharistic adoration after morning Mass, and active faith formation for children and adults, it offers an unusually rich sacramental life for a parish of its size.
Mass times at St. John Vianney
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- One hour before weekend Masses (Saturday vigil and Sunday)
Adoration times
- Monday through Saturday — after the 8:00 a.m. Mass
- First Sunday — 10:30 a.m. (for children)
Parish History
Founded in 1951 under Father Harold Ritter, St. John Vianney began as a southern Louisville mission with a strong capital campaign and an active laity that formed the Men's Club, a Christian family movement, and a teen club. The parish was a pioneer in the archdiocese for promoting a Holy Family celebration. After the parish school closed in 2004, Vietnamese Catholic immigrants — who had begun reshaping the community in the 1990s — completed a major renovation of the worship space in 2005 and erected the Shrine of Our Lady of La-Vang in 2001.
- Established 1951; first pastor Rev. Harold Ritter
- Parish school opened 1953 (Sisters of Charity of Nazareth); school closed 2004
- Ursuline Sisters of Louisville staffed the school from 1987
- Vietnamese transformation of the parish began in the 1990s
- Shrine of Our Lady of La-Vang erected 2001
- Church renovated 2005
Mass and Worship Schedule
St. John Vianney offers a robust schedule centered on Vietnamese-language daily Mass, with one English Mass on Saturday evening and two Vietnamese Sunday Masses. Holy Day Masses are celebrated in Vietnamese at 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Confessions are heard one hour before each weekend Mass, and Eucharistic adoration follows the morning Mass every Monday through Saturday, with a special children's adoration hour on the first Sunday of the month.
- Saturday vigil: 4:00 p.m. (English)
- Sunday: 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. (Vietnamese)
- Daily Mon–Sat: 8:00 a.m. (Vietnamese); Wednesday also 8:00 p.m.
- Holy Days: 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. (Vietnamese)
Clergy and Parish Staff
The parish is led by its current pastor, Rev. Minh D. Vu, and supported by a team of lay and religious staff who oversee faith formation, worship, youth ministry, and parish finances.
- Pastor: Rev. Minh D. Vu
- Director of Religious Education & Parish Catechetical Leader: Sr. Vi Hoang
- Director of Worship: Doan-Chinh Nguyen
- Youth and Young Adult Minister: Hao Nguyen
- Bookkeeper: Shawn Black
Parish Ministries
St. John Vianney's ministries span liturgical service, faith formation, family life, youth outreach, and care for those in need. Vietnamese-American parishioners founded several of the parish's most active groups — Fathers Guild, Mothers Guild, Adult Christians, and the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Society — to strengthen family life and support parish operations.
- Liturgical Ministry — lector, Eucharistic minister, altar server, choir
- Youth Ministry
- Community Outreach — food pantry, clothing drives, community service
- Religious Education — children, teens, and adults
- Fathers Guild
- Mothers Guild
- Adult Christians
- Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Society
Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Society
The Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Society is a non-profit organization that educates and involves young people in parish and community life. Enthusiastic young volunteers teach Bible studies, Vietnamese language and history, Christian morality, Christian life, and practical skills every Sunday. The group also volunteers at the Cathedral of the Assumption's soup kitchen, Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, and the parish's Food for the Poor program.
- Sunday formation in Bible study, Vietnamese language and history, Christian morality and life, and practical skills
- Outreach at the Cathedral soup kitchen
- Service at Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital
- Food for the Poor program at the parish
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Religious education at St. John Vianney is offered in both Vietnamese and English for children, teens, and adults. Children's faith formation meets on the first Sunday of the month at 10:30 a.m., while RCIA, Confirmation, and Pre-Cana preparation are available in Vietnamese.
- Children's Religious Education — first Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
- RCIA in Vietnamese
- Confirmation preparation in Vietnamese
- Pre-Cana in Vietnamese
Sacraments
Parishioners are encouraged to contact the parish office to arrange baptisms, marriages, anointing of the sick, and other sacramental needs. The office can be reached Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at (502) 366-5517.
- Baptism
- Reconciliation
- First Holy Communion
- Confirmation
- Marriage (with Pre-Cana preparation in Vietnamese)
- Anointing of the Sick
- RCIA
Shrine of Our Lady of La-Vang
In 2001, Vietnamese-American parishioners built the Shrine of Our Lady of La-Vang on the parish grounds, honoring the Vietnamese Marian apparition and giving the parish a distinctive devotional landmark. The shrine is visible from Southside Drive and serves as a gathering point for Vietnamese Catholic feast-day celebrations (notably August 22 and November 22).
- Erected 2001 by Vietnamese-American parishioners
- Honors the La-Vang apparition in Vietnam
- Located on the parish grounds along Southside Drive
Contact and Visit
The parish office is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and welcomes inquiries from new members and from those seeking baptism, reconciliation, marriage, anointing of the sick, or any other pastoral need.
- Address: 4839 Southside Drive, Louisville, KY 40214-2111
- Phone: (502) 366-5517
- Office hours: Mon–Fri, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
- Pastor email: [email protected]
- Parish website: sjvlou.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Harold Ritter1951–
Founding pastor of St. John Vianney; led the initial capital campaign for church and school and guided the parish through its early organizational years.