After the fall of Laos to the communist party many Hmong fled their homeland and became refugees abroad. Starting in 1975, the US absorbed many of those refugees, and since then, the Hmong have found a new home here in the United States.
In 1982, some Hmong catholic families relocated to Fresno, CA. During that time, there were between 250 to 300 families accounting for about 750 to 800 catholic christian members in the Central Valley. Shortly after, many of them relocated out of the area to other cities and states in order to find jobs. Today, there are 110 families (approximately 600 members) left at Our Lady of Victory Church in Fresno, CA.
In 1984, the Hmong catholic community asked the Diocese of Fresno to provide a Hmong speaking priest to help with its many needs. To conform to the need of the Hmong catholic community, the diocese brought in a former bilingual missionary. From 1984 on, the Hmong catholic community kept to itself with very limited involvement with the mainstream church.
In 2000, Bishop John Steinbock revealed his vision for the Hmong catholic community:
(1) The Hmong will become part of a parish.
(2) The Hmong will take part in what the mainstream Church is doing so that others can learn and get to know them.
(3) Community members will enroll in the deaconate program. Since then, three members in the diocese have completed the program and are now active deacons while five others have completed the New Wine Program.
(4) The central church and parish for the Hmong in Fresno shall be Our Lady of Victory Church.
(5) The Hmong will hold CCD and RCIA classes in both Hmong and English at the Hmong Center. The Hmong Center will serve as the primary location for all of the community’s activities and meetings.
(6) The Hmong will have a Parish Life Coordinator, a council with advisory board members, and trained and certificated religious instructors to help address the needs of its community members.
(7) The Hmong will re-evaluate certain rituals they have been performing and determine what is considered cultural and what is considered spiritual.
We owe everything that we have to the late Bishop John Steinbock whose leadership and vision brought forth the many ministries in our community. His faith in our community has inspired our people to grow spiritually as well as in numbers. Each year, the Hmong catholic of Fresno hold one workshop in their native language at the Diocese Congress.
Hmong Catholic Central Church of OLV Activities:
We abide by the bishop’s vision. The Hmong community maintains a strong relationship with the bishop, the diocese, the staff, and pastor at OLV. At the Hmong Center, we offer religious classes (RCIA and CCD) in Hmong for all ages, choir for children, youth, and young adults from 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm. Our classes are accepted as preparatory classes for First Communion and Confirmation. The council meets at the same time each week to discuss the cultural rites.
Each year, we hold one retreat for the adults and one retreat for the youth along with other community events such as our yearly Easter picnic and New Year celebration. On the second and fourth Sunday, the Hmong choir also sings at the 6:30 pm English mass. On the first and third Sunday, mass is said in Hmong at 4:00 pm.
Our other ministries include young adults, youth, TV, and women’s group who work under the guidance of the Parish Life Coordinator.
Our goal is to promote spiritual growth within all the members of our community as well as working to preserve our culture.
Contact Information:
The Hmong Catholic Community Central Church of OLV would like to invite you to visit us, learn with us, and celebrate mass with us. If you’d like to know more, please contact the following people:
* Deacon Soob Naij Hawj 559 275-3351
* Tsoom Yis Thoj 559 351-0089
* Nkias Tswb Hawj 559 291-0997
* Office 559 237-4145