A woman kneels in prayer in front of a statue of Our Lady of La Vang, which stands near the entrance of St. Martin of Tours Church in Franklin. According to tradition, the Blessed Mother appeared to Catholics in the town of La Vang, Vietnam in 1798. (Catholic Herald photo by Sam Lucero)
FRANKLIN — For several years, Vietnamese Catholics in the Milwaukee area worshipped at St. Anthony Parish, under the guidance of Franciscan Fr. Peter Do. As of May 20, the Vietnamese Catholic community has a new home, St. Martin of Tours Parish, and a new pastoral leader, Sacred Heart Fr. Francis Tran, who is Vietnamese and who has been associate pastor at St. Martin of Tours since September 2005. He feels much can be gained from the collaboration.
“I think the parish gains from the diversity — diversity of Catholic culture,” he said. “This community is mainly suburban white, but having someone different coming, they’ll learn from different cultures. The Vietnamese community is very faithful and devoted to the church. It’s a challenge, but also an invitation for them to seek Christ. The parish here is very welcoming.”
Fr. Francis said that there are about 300-330 additional people in the pews on Sundays. For the Vietnamese who do not speak English, Fr. Francis celebrates Mass in Vietnamese at the parish at 12:30 p.m. on Sundays.
According to the priest, St. Martin of Tours seemed an appropriate new home for the Vietnamese community because the church is much larger than St. Anthony, and for logistical reasons.
“Much of the Vietnamese community lives in the area — Franklin, Oak Creek, Muskego, Racine, Greenfield — so it’s logical,” he said. “The group is very active in the church and at St. Anthony, they were limited by the facility size. (Here) we have the church, basement, school, narthex and 10 acres of land.”
While he has accepted additional pastoral duties, Fr. Francis said being St. Martin of Tours’ associate pastor is his first priority.
“I said my main focus is being associate pastor,” he said. “I look at (the Vietnamese) as family who joined this parish. I’m treating them the same as anyone who walks in the church door. However, I have to help them to integrate into this community of faith.”
The parish offers religion classes in Vietnamese, as well as a Christian women’s group for Vietnamese women because, according to Fr. Francis, many Vietnamese women speak no English.
While it makes sense that Fr. Francis would host the Vietnamese population in the Milwaukee area, he said he never expected to find himself in this role.
“It’s God’s will, really,” he said. “I have never foreseen this. It’s a coincidence that I got to know them. I’m trusting that it’s the way God wants it to be.”
Since the Vietnamese population has been worshipping at St. Martin of Tours for a few months, Fr. Francis said both communities are learning from each other and becoming more integrated.
“This community can teach the Vietnamese community how to be part of the larger Catholic community,” he said. “There’s always adjustment when you move a community. Each church has its own culture and way of doing things, so the Vietnamese are learning that.”
