Our Lady of La Vang Parish facts for kids
Our Lady of La Vang Parish is a special Vietnamese church in San Jose, California. It used to be called Saint Patrick Proto-Cathedral Parish. This church is a national parish, which means it serves a specific group of people, in this case, Vietnamese Catholics.
It was once a "proto-cathedral" for the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose in California. A proto-cathedral is a church that used to be a main cathedral. The church is in Downtown San José, close to San José State University. It is named after Our Lady of La Vang, a special figure in Vietnamese Catholic faith. The Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul also run St. Patrick Elementary School on the church grounds.
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History of Our Lady of La Vang Parish
Early Days as St. Patrick's
The church began in 1872 as St. Patrick Parish. It was one of the first Catholic churches in San José. Father Joseph Gallagher was its first pastor (priest in charge). The church was named after Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
The first church building was a beautiful Gothic style church. It was finished in 1888. This building was located at Ninth and Santa Clara streets. Sadly, it was destroyed by the big 1906 San Francisco earthquake. But the community worked hard and rebuilt it in less than a year!
Changes and New Beginnings
The second church building was replaced in 1967. The new church was built at Eighth and Santa Clara streets. From 1981 to 1990, St. Patrick’s served as the main cathedral for the Diocese of San José. A cathedral is the main church for a bishop. After 1990, the main cathedral moved to St. Joseph’s. St. Patrick’s then became known as St. Patrick Proto-Cathedral Parish.
In 2002, the parish changed its focus. It became a national parish specifically for the Vietnamese community. This means it offers many services in Vietnamese. However, it also still has Mass services in English and Spanish.
On August 31, 2012, a fire sadly destroyed the church building. It was later taken down in 2017. On April 28, 2013, Bishop Patrick J. McGrath officially renamed the church. It was given the new name, Our Lady of La Vang. The school next to it remained St. Patrick School. The brand new church building officially opened its doors on May 13, 2023.
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