Vietnamese resistance: god and government in New Orleans.

• Author: Howley, Kerry
• Position: Citings

WHEN THE Bring Back New Orleans Commission met in November 2005 to discuss its far-off plans to gradually rebuild and repopulate the flooded city, the Rev. Luke Nguyen rose to talk about the thousands of Vietnamese who had fled his neighborhood in August. To the panel's surprise, he announced, "We are already back."

Nguyen, known as Father Luke, is one of the pastors at Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church, the focal point of a small East New Orleans area called Village de L'Est. In what the Los Angeles Times has called "a model of self-help and recovery," the Katrina-ravaged district has transformed itself back into a livable neighborhood. Its rapid development stands in contrast to the glacial pace of rebuilding in the surrounding areas.

"We were the first to come back into play," Father Luke says, adding that pews are newly full as well. "We sent out word: Come back! Come back!"

The Rev. Vien Nguyen, another Mary's pastor, proved himself an able shepherd after the storm by traveling through Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas in the church's van, summoning his flock back to the neighborhood. In October 2005, church leaders pushed hard for power and water...