Summary
The surrounding Versailles neighborhood became one ofthe first sections of New Orleans outside ofthe central business district to regain power, after Mary Queen, 95 percent of whose members returned after the devastation, submitted 500 petition signatures to the city requesting quick action. A new pilot program by the group in conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture brings nursinghome seniors to the market to play bingo and gives them extra food stamps if they purchase home-grown produce. CCRA has had better luck grabbing the ear of New Orleans city planners, having grown out of a city-sponsored community-planning process, where over 200 residents came together to share their concerns on blighted buildings the city is seeking developers to rehabilitate.
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Gulf Coast Notebook
THE MARY QUEEN OF VIETNAM CHURCH
The recent election of U.S. Congressman Anh Cao, a first for Vietnamese Americans, stunned many observers but not those in the pews at Mary Queen of Vietnam, a Catholic parish in New Orleans East where Cao has been a member for over a decade. Refugees began arriving in New Orleans East shortly after the end ofthe Vietnam War in 1975. By 2000, the district was home to most ofthe city's 14,000 Vietnamese Americans, one of the largest concentrated enclaves in the country. When Mary Queen was founded in 1986, it became the first U.S. Catholic church to offer mass in Vietnamese."We are back to the extent that we can bring forth a candidate," says Father Nguyen The Vien, 45, who has been a pastor at Mary Queen since 2003. He has ...See the full content of this document
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