"Vietnamese people are spread out, and religion brings them together," he said in Vietnamese. "But Vietnamese people gather either way. We have to create a community."
The church's openness has made itself a sanctuary for all Vietnamese people, whether Catholic or not, Cao said. While Buddhism is the most common religion in Vietnam, the Vietnamese in America tend to be more Christian, particularly Catholic.
Nam Nguyen is a Buddhist and teaches Vietnamese at Our Lady of Perpetual Help. He initially came to the church because his sister attended mass, but stayed and became one of the most active volunteers. "When the father is here, it's like we're a family," Nguyen said. "And when I teach Vietnamese here, it's about the culture."
The mass always ends with the 20 parishioners slowly chanting a biblical verse. The chanting echoes in the enormous cathedral, and as their voices transform into one sweeping note, it is obvious that the parishioners have found a community that speaks and hears its language. Then, they abruptly stop, and quiet takes over the cathedral.
To some, the scattered population is beneficial to the Vietnamese community because it attracts other ethnic groups, parishioner Caroline Quan said. That's also the case at New York Vietnamese School, where more and more Americans are taking classes to connect with their spouses.
"When you congregate, there's more segregation," Quan said. "Since it's so spread out, you can encourage non-Vietnamese people to participate in your own roots. It's inviting that way."
