COUNTYWIDE : Center Planned for Vietnamese Catholics

To help draw the county’s 30,000 Vietnamese Catholics closer together, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange has approved plans to build a $3.3-million cultural center to serve that community.

Msgr. Peter Tien, director of the Vietnamese Catholic Center who has spearheaded the project, said it will be built with donations from the Vietnamese community. The 15,000-square-foot center will be used to train religious leaders, hold cultural events and also help new Vietnamese immigrants learn English and adapt to American culture.

“We think we have an obligation to help our people to understand America’s different sides, its culture, politics, social (aspects) and religion,” while still offering a place to preserve Vietnamese heritage, he said.

Approved by the diocese last month, the center will boast traditional Vietnamese architecture and include a 600-seat hall and classrooms. Pending final approval from the city, construction could begin as early as August. The new complex will replace the existing Vietnamese Catholic Center, at 1538 N. Century Blvd., Santa Ana, near Harbor Boulevard and Westminster Avenue.

Tien said the project would be completed in three phases, each costing $1.1 million. Vietnamese parishioners have already donated $1 million toward the project’s first phase and pledged $2.5 million more. The first phase will include the hall and parking space.