About Sts. Anthony of Padua & Le Van Phung · Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Sts. Anthony of Padua & Lê Văn Phung is a Catholic parish in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that began in 1920 as an Italian-immigrant chapel (St. Anthony of Padua) and was reborn in the late 1980s when Vietnamese Catholic refugees made it their spiritual home. In 1988, when Pope John Paul II canonized 117 Vietnamese Martyrs including St. Emmanuel Lê Văn Phung, the parish was renamed in his honor alongside St. Anthony of Padua. Today the parish serves as the home of the Vietnamese Apostolate for the Diocese of Baton Rouge, with the great majority of its roughly 3,500 registered families being Vietnamese-American. It is staffed by priests of the Incarnatio – Consecratio – Missio (ICM) religious order and offers Mass primarily in Vietnamese, along with daily adoration, confession, faith formation through the Vincent Liem Sunday School, and a growing network of lay associations and choirs.
- Established
- 1920
- Patron
- St. Anthony of Padua and St. Emmanuel Lê Văn Phung
- Rector
- Rev. Hieu Quang Peter Nguyen, ICM
- Diocese
- Diocese of Baton Rouge
Why belong here
Sts. Anthony of Padua & Lê Văn Phung is the spiritual home of the Vietnamese Catholic community in the Baton Rouge area, with daily Mass in Vietnamese, Eucharistic Adoration after every morning Mass, a robust Vincent Liem Sunday School serving about 350 students, and an unusually rich tapestry of lay associations and choirs (nine associations including Legio Maria, Lien Minh Thanh Tam, and the Mothers' Association, plus five choirs). A Food Bank operates the first Saturday of each month, confession is offered daily before Mass and by appointment, and the parish family is warmly bilingual and multicultural — explicitly welcoming anyone searching for a church home.
Mass times at Sts. Anthony of Padua & Le Van Phung
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Daily before Mass
- Sundays 9:15 AM – 9:45 AM
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Weekdays 7:30 AM – 8:00 AM (after daily Mass)
- Sundays 9:00 AM – 9:50 AM (before 10:00 AM Mass)
About the Parish
Sts. Anthony of Padua & Lê Văn Phung Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Baton Rouge located at 2305 Choctaw Drive in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Once an Italian-immigrant mission chapel under St. Joseph, it was canonically erected in 1920 and rebuilt four times — most recently in 1953. Since the late 1980s it has served as the home of the Vietnamese Catholic Apostolate in the Diocese, a role formalized when Pope John Paul II canonized 117 Vietnamese Martyrs in June 1988 and the parish took on the secondary patronage of St. Emmanuel Lê Văn Phung.
History
Founded by the Italian St. Anthony Society in 1915 and erected as a parish in 1920 under Archbishop Shaw, the parish grew rapidly through the 1920s and 1930s and built a third church and school in 1937 and a fourth (the present) church in 1953. The construction of I-110 and industrial rezoning in the 1960s scattered the surrounding Italian-American neighborhood. A rebirth began in 1975 with the arrival of the first Vietnamese refugee families, sponsored by the Diocese. Under pastors Fr. Paul Nguyen and then Fr. Joseph Hung Viet Nguyen, ICM, the Vietnamese Catholic community expanded steadily, and in 1988 — the year of the canonization of the 117 Vietnamese Martyrs — the parish was renamed to include St. Emmanuel Lê Văn Phung. The H.O. Program immigration wave (1990–2005) brought the Vietnamese Catholic population in Baton Rouge to about 3,000, and the parish now counts roughly 3,500 registered families in total.
Founding and the Italian Era (1915–1960s)
In 1915 the St. Anthony Society was organized to assist Italian immigrants, and the Society funded the construction of a chapel that began as a mission of St. Joseph. Father Ralph Vincent Lawrence was appointed the first pastor in 1920, and the Parish Corporation was chartered on December 7, 1921. Father Thomas Colbert succeeded him in 1923 and served 25 years. The parish ran mission churches in Zachary, Baker, and Greenwell Springs, and by 1928 average Sunday Mass attendance was 600 adults and 900 children. A third church and school were built in 1937, and the fourth (current) church was dedicated on Christmas Eve 1953.
The Vietnamese Community and the 1988 Renaming
The first five Vietnamese refugee families arrived in July 1975 and were sponsored by the Diocese. Among them was a widow and her 16-year-old son Than Vu, who later became Father Than Vu, Vicar General of the Diocese of Baton Rouge. Fr. Paul Nguyen, one of three Vietnamese priests sponsored at the same time, began celebrating Sunday Mass for the community at St. Anthony, and in 1985 Fr. Joseph Hung Viet Nguyen, ICM became pastor. On June 19, 1988 Pope John Paul II canonized the 117 Vietnamese Martyrs, including St. Emmanuel Lê Văn Phung, and the parish was renamed Sts. Anthony of Padua and Lê Văn Phung.
Faith Formation: Vincent Liem Sunday School
Founded under Fr. Joseph Hung Viet Nguyen, ICM, the Vincent Liem Sunday School provides faith formation for children from pre-K through 12th grade, currently enrolling about 350 students. Classes meet on Sundays from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM during the school year (with summer break).
Parish Ministries and Lay Associations
The parish supports nine lay associations and five choirs, reflecting a strong lay-led model. These groups care for the liturgy, the parish grounds, hospitality, charity, and the spiritual life of the community.
- Legio Maria (Legion of Mary)
- Lien Minh Thanh Tam Association
- Cac Ba Me Cong Giao Association (Mothers' Association)
- Altar Service Association
- Lector Association
- Sacristy Assistant Association
- Security Association
- Lam Dep Nha Chua Association
- Tong Do Fatima Association
Music Ministry
Music at the parish is provided by five Vietnamese-language choirs, including a youth choir.
- Tin Yeu Choir
- Hien Dang Choir
- Maria, Mother of God Choir
- The Holy Spirit Choir
- St. Teresa of the Child Jesus Choir (Youth Choir)
Outreach: Parish Food Bank
The parish operates a Food Bank distributing groceries to those in need on the first Saturday of each month from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM. The ministry is a concrete expression of the parish mission to serve the needs of the community.
Other Devotions and Liturgical Services
Beyond Mass, the parish offers Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent (at 4:30 PM and 7:00 PM), celebration of Thanksgiving Day Mass in Vietnamese, and Baptism on the last Sunday of the month. The parish also observes the feasts of its two patrons: St. Anthony of Padua (June 13) and St. Emmanuel Lê Văn Phung (July 31), as well as the broader memorial of the 117 Vietnamese Martyrs on November 24.
Clergy and Pastoral Staff
Pastoral care is led by the Incarnatio – Consecratio – Missio (ICM) religious order. The current pastor is Fr. Peter Hieu Quang Nguyen, ICM. He is assisted by Very Rev. Hung Viet Nguyen, ICM (Regional Superior of ICM), Rev. Minh Hai Nguyen, ICM (in residence), Rev. Michael Thanh Van Nguyen (in residence), and Deacon Tram Phan. The parish also hosts eight ICM nuns and two Vietnamese candidates for the permanent diaconate.
Giving
The parish supports the usual diocesan collections and a Text-to-Give program with designated fund codes for General Offertory, Maintenance, Religious Education, Propagation of Faith, Catholic Charities, and others.
- General Offertory (GO20)
- Maintenance (M21)
- Religious Education (RE14)
- Propagation of Faith (PF15)
- Campaign for Human Development (CHD16)
- Retirement Fund for Religious (RFR17)
- Catholic Life Center Services (CLCS18)
- Easter Flower Offering (EF22)
- Christmas Flower Offering (CF23)
- Peter's Pence (PP11)
- Catholic Charities (CC12)
- Catholic University of America (CUA13)
- Memorial Candles (MC24)
Visit Us / Contact
The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM and welcomes visitors and new members seeking a church home. Two phone lines are staffed: an English line and a Vietnamese line.
- Address: 2305 Choctaw Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70805
- Phone (English): 225-357-4800
- Phone (Vietnamese): 346-270-7509
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Ralph Vincent Lawrence1920
First pastor, appointed by Archbishop Shaw over a parish of about 225 Italian-immigrant families.
- Fr. Thomas Colbert1923–c.1948
Succeeded Fr. Lawrence; served 25 years; oversaw the three mission parishes of St. John in the Plains (Zachary), St. Isidore (Baker), and St. Francis (Greenwell Springs, now St. Alphonsus).
- Fr. Paul Nguyenpre-1983
Vietnamese priest; originally assigned to Immaculate Conception, Lakeland; drove to St. Anthony for Vietnamese Sunday Mass and later became Associate Pastor and chaplain to the Vietnamese Catholic community.
- Fr. Joseph Hung Viet Nguyen, ICM1985
Brought from New Orleans by Bishop Ott in 1983; first two years at Sacred Heart; reassigned to St. Anthony as administrator, then pastor; established the Vincent Liem Sunday School; later became Superior General of the ICM order in the United States.
- Fr. Francis Minh Nguyen, ICM
Succeeded Fr. Joseph; led major renovations of the parish buildings; served about seven years before being asked to oversee construction of the ICM Retreat Center in Texas.
- Fr. Dominic Chinh Pham, ICM
Replaced Fr. Francis Nguyen; served about one year before being sent to the Philippines for ICM priest formation.
- Fr. Peter Tan Viet Nguyen, ICM
Succeeded Fr. Dominic Chinh Pham as pastor.
- Fr. Peter Hieu Quang Nguyen, ICMpresent
Current pastor; oversees parish activities and new Catholic associations.