Date/Time: March 2 and 9, 2026
1:00-2:00 pm ET/10:00-11:00 am PT
Cost:
NPM Members: Included in membership
Non-members: $20
Since 1975, when the first wave of post-war refugees fled to the United States, Vietnamese Catholics have grown into a vibrant ethnic community. What can non-Vietnamese liturgists and musicians learn from this Southeast Asian immigrant group? This two-part webinar will offer a general introduction to Vietnamese Catholicism, inculturation, chanting tradition, and repertoire; followed by a second presentation directed toward non-Vietnamese choir directors on Vietnamese pronunciation, singing and intercultural choral rehearsals.
About the Presenters
Nurtured in Franciscan spirituality, Brother Rufino Zaragoza explores the richness of multicultural communities and Asian liturgical inculturation, while lecturing on the joys and complexities of intercultural worship. He’s led workshops at NPM, SWLC, numerous dioceses in the US, plus Hong Kong, Hanoi, and Saigon. A pioneer of multilingual song collections (English, Spanish and Vietnamese), he contributed to the FDLC’s revised guide on multicultural liturgies. Rufino is currently in residence at Mission San Luis Rey, Oceanside, CA, serving as a liturgical music consultant.
Born and raised in Vietnam, Paul Nguyen is bilingual and bicultural; he serves as a bridge between the first and second Vietnamese generations, as well as between the mainstream American liturgical musicians and their Vietnamese counterparts through workshops, compositions and community-building events. He is a trilingual cantor, accompanist, choir director, composer, recording artist and workshop presenter. He has worked in various bilingual (English Spanish) and trilingual (English, Spanish, Vietnamese) parishes for the Diocese of Orange, CA, for over 20 years. His emphases in college was Vocal Performance and Music education, as well as in Business Administration. He served a 3-year term on the Diocesan Liturgical Commission and is a long-time member of the Music Advisory Board for the Diocese of Orange. He has presented workshops for NPM, RE Congress and various Dioceses around the country regarding best practices for different communities in a parish to come together for fellowship before worship, the unique gifts that Vietnamese-American Catholics has to offer, Musicianship 101 for a volunteer choir, and Be Not Afraid: Vietnamese diction for non-Vietnamese speakers.