$5-Million Vietnamese Catholic Center Opens

The project took 10 years and $5 million, with much of the money coming from thousands of donors who sent checks as small as $5. The Vietnamese Catholic Center opened over the weekend as a hub for cultural, social and religious activities.

“The donations came from all over, Catholics and non-Catholics alike,” said Van T. Tran, a spokesman for the center. “This is a place where we can come together in unity . . . to celebrate our diversity as well as our faith.”

The complex, with a distinctive red-tile roof, is on four acres of land and features a 600-seat auditorium, conference rooms, administrative offices, a library and a 200-seat chapel.

Borrowing details from both ancient Chinese temples and Catholic missions, the center is the largest structure in North America built in the style of traditional Vietnamese architecture, officials said.

About 3,000 parishioners of 12 Vietnamese congregations in Orange County took part in weekend festivities that included a Mass led by Diocese of Orange Bishop Norman McFarland and Auxiliary Bishop Michael Driscoll.

The Vietnamese Americans who supported construction of the complex at North Century and Harbor boulevards in Santa Ana come from a number of religions and secular organizations, Tran said, even though the center is Catholic.

The chapel, called the Shrine for Martyrs, is dedicated to the 117 Vietnamese Catholics who were canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1988.

The library is a depository of history, art, culture and political books about Vietnam in both English and Vietnamese, Tran said, and was built with the younger generation in mind.

“We hope to turn that library into a place where they can come and visit and learn about their history,” Tran said.