Vietnamese Catholic community celebrates a decade as diocesan parish
By Gabrielle Nolan
The Church of Divine Mercy, a Vietnamese parish within the Diocese of Knoxville, held a festive celebration on Oct. 13 to commemorate 10 years as a parish community.
Hundreds of parishioners attended the evening party, which included a feast of Vietnamese food and drinks, karaoke singing, a traditional lion dance, and fireworks.
Bishop Mark Beckman and Father Dominic Nguyen, CRM, light the fuses for fireworks. Below: The lion dance is performed at the Church of Divine Mercy on Oct. 13. (Photo Gabrielle Nolan)
Bishop Mark Beckman joined Father Dominic Nghia T.H. Nguyen, CRM, pastor of Divine Mercy Parish, for the celebration.
Leading the crowd in an opening prayer, Bishop Beckman thanked God for the gift of the parish community and asked for blessings upon them as they celebrated 10 years together.
“I think the beautiful thing here in Knoxville is that the Vietnamese community are able to celebrate together in their own parish community and to have the beautiful traditions that they do, to continue to celebrate in a way that speaks to them culturally and connects with them personally,” the bishop said. “I think that’s so beautiful and powerful. I love that.”
Bishop Beckman remarked that he is impressed that the Diocese of Knoxville is a “thriving, growing diocese.”
“Many of our parish communities are growing rapidly, and to have a Vietnamese community here in East Tennessee that’s so vibrant and active here in Knoxville, also in Chattanooga. So, we have the dynamism of newcomers to our community, which has made a positive impact,” he said.
As a guest of honor, Bishop Beckman was invited to light the fireworks at the front of the church building. He lit one side of a long ribbon, while Father Nguyen lit the other side. As the fireworks popped and sparked, the lion dance began.
The traditional lion dance is used for significant holidays or grand events, and the lion represents festivity and fortune. Bishop Beckman and Father Nguyen fed red envelopes to the lion, which symbolized good luck and prosperity for the next year.
Father Nguyen, who was installed as pastor of Divine Mercy Parish on June 11, 2023, by Bishop Richard F. Stika, said that celebrating 10 years as a parish community was an “honor.”
“Thank God for that, for the love of God, for the love of the diocese, and the former bishop,” he said. “Especially that we have our own property, that we can celebrate our Vietnamese culture and our Vietnamese Mass and do everything according to our Vietnamese [culture]. That’s the most important thing. A lot of our generation and the older generation really love that. The young generation now only speaks English, but they will still come to the church, still do the activity with the church. It’s really important for us as Vietnamese. That’s why 10 years is a great honor.”
Steven Tran, who has been with the community since 2008, was the emcee for the evening.
Mr. Tran, a Vietnam native, moved to California in 1991 and relocated to Tennessee in 2008.
Bishop Mark Beckman and Father Dominic Nguyen, pastor of Church of the Divine Mercy in Knoxville, feed red envelopes for good fortune to the lions as part of the Vietnamese Catholic community’s lion dance. (Photo Gabrielle Nolan)
“When we just started, gathering in small numbers, we would do whatsoever it takes day in and day out every day, every week, … 16 years before the day when Bishop Stika allowed us to establish the parish,” he said. “We never believed we could have our own parish because in the whole nation, in the United States, not too many Vietnamese parishes [stand] by themselves. There are combinations because too many different varieties in culture, different people. They will share together. Now we can stand on our own. What did (Bishop) Stika say—‘If you can stand on your own, then I will let you do that.’ And I told him … give us a chance and I bet we will very rapidly increase the numbers. The numbers increased amazingly, amazingly.”
“From the bottom of our hearts, we are very, very grateful to Bishop Stika and Deacon Sean (Smith). Without Bishop saying yes, nothing would happen,” Mr. Tran continued.
The beginning of the parish community goes back to the early 1990s, with a monthly Mass held at Immaculate Conception Church and then Knoxville Catholic High School. Bishop Stika announced the name of the parish in 2012, and he dedicated the church Nov. 17, 2013.
He remarked that even though the Vietnamese community struggled, they always looked to God and prayed.
“We worked all together to make it happen,” Mr. Tran said. “We are obediently doing whatever the Church wants us to do … we do everything according to the book.”
The Church of Divine Mercy, located on Carmichael Road in West Knoxville, celebrates Mass in Vietnamese at 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays, 9 a.m. on Sundays, and 8 a.m. Monday through Friday. For information, visit divinemercyknox.org.
