Laotian Refugee Baptisms in CA

Baptisms are common in all parishes, but on Jan. 13, 2002, Fr. Umberto Nespolo, OMI, had the privilege of officiating at a particularly heartwarming ceremony as he baptized 15 Laotian refugees at the Santa Rosa Church, Santa Rosa, CA. They ranged from age 1 to 80, but most were in their 40’s.

These folks were part of the thousands of Southeast Asian refugees who had fled for their lives from Laos after the debacle of the Vietnam war. They belonged to the group of Laotians and other tribes in that area who fought with American soldiers. They were then known as the CIA-supported “Freedom Fighters” of Laos.

While in Laos they had contact with our Oblate missionaries. This particular group somehow vaguely remember Umberto who was then with the Italian Province which had responsibility for the northern part of the country. The French were in the south.

These refugees did not become Christians at that time. Maybe they did not have enough time or opportunity for it. In any case, they found themselves at the refugee camps in Thailand. There they had a brief contact with Catholic missionaries again. But as life would have it, they were soon shipped off to the U.S. and found themselves in the diocese of Santa Rosa.

At the principal church of that diocese they attended Mass for more than ten years, maybe 15, hoping that one day someone would come along to ask them about their desire to be baptized Catholics, someone who would understand them and listen to their story -- the stereotypical unfathomable Asian silence.

One day the deacon at Santa Rosa Parish did ask. Having difficulty making sense of their story, he made phone calls and got in contact with Umberto at the Oblate house at 290 Lenox. The rest is history. The rest is a future.