10/02/2026
Every year, Holy Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church hosts a wonderful welcome to fall โ Lแป
Hแปi Mรนa Thu โ ATL Fall Festival.
The festival, which began in 2009, is a beautiful celebration of Vietnamese culture, faith, food, music, and community. This year, Sizemore Group was delighted to be invited to experience the celebration firsthand.
The visit was especially meaningful for Bill De St. Aubin, CEO of Sizemore Group, who had the privilege of serving as the architect for Holy Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church.
The first Mass was celebrated in the church in 2019, following years of collaboration among the parish, its leadership, artists, young people, and the Sizemore Group design team.
What began as an architectural project became a much deeper journey of discovery โ learning the extraordinary history of Vietnamese Catholics, the sacrifice of the 118 Vietnamese Martyrs, and the journey of a community that carried its faith and traditions across the world.
Those stories became central to the design of the church, where architecture, art, symbolism, and faith come together to honor the past while celebrating the community's future in Gwinnett County.
In the reflection below, Bill shares the story behind the design and the meaning woven into this remarkable landmark along I-85.
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Holy Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church is celebrating its 20th anniversary. What brought this remarkable parish to Gwinnett County is a story of extraordinary faith, sacrifice, and perseveranceโa story I came to understand more deeply only after becoming its architect.
Centuries ago, French missionaries brought the Catholic faith to Vietnam, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For over 300 years, generations of Vietnamese Catholics endured severe persecution under successive ruling governments. Many were imprisoned, tortured, or executed simply because they professed their faith in Christ.
Today, 118 Vietnamese Martyrs have been canonized as saints in the Catholic Church. Many were beheaded for refusing to renounce their faith. Their bodies were often wrapped in woven reed mats, rolled up, and buried. Their witness became the foundation of a faith that would continue to flourish despite unimaginable hardship.
When Vietnamese Catholics later immigrated to the United States, they pursued something many had never knownโreligious freedom. They embraced that freedom with humility, gratitude, and hope, building vibrant communities while celebrating both their faith and the opportunities America offered.
Around 2016, as Holy Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church approached its 10th anniversary, Sizemore Group was selected to design its new church, and I was honored to serve as the lead architect.
At the time, I didn't fully appreciate the depth of the parish's history. I knew they envisioned a beautiful church that would honor their heritage while feeling at home in Gwinnett County, Georgia. What I discovered throughout the design process was that every architectural decision could become a reflection of their remarkable journey.
I also knew something about Gwinnett County's own story. Once, one of metro Atlanta's fastest-growing suburbs, portions of the county experienced decline as infrastructure aged and commercial centers emptied. Rather than resist change, Gwinnett embraced diversity as one of its greatest strengths. That openness sparked a new era of growth and vitality.
The Vietnamese community became an important part of that transformation. The church now stands on what was once a struggling automobile dealership. The festival grounds below the church were once considered for a waste transfer station. Today, the site has become a place of worship, celebration, fellowship, and hopeโa visible reminder of what faith and community can accomplish.
As we celebrate the parish's 20th anniversary, we celebrate not only the church itself, but God's blessings on both this congregation and the community it now calls home.
Designing a building capable of expressing this history became both an architectural challenge and a privilege. It was a collaborative effort involving parish leadership, artists, craftsmen, our design team, and the parish's young people.
The church is organized in the form of a crucifix, reflecting Christ's sacrifice and the sacrifices of the Vietnamese Martyrs. The rooflines and octagonal chapel are clad in traditional clay tile, recalling the missionary churches that first spread Christianity throughout Vietnam. Within the octagonal chapel, stained-glass-style windows depict the story of the martyrs and their enduring witness.
Inside, the soaring form of the sanctuary evokes hands joined together in prayer. At the same time, the shape of the nave suggests a wooden boatโa tribute to the countless Vietnamese refugees whose dangerous journeys across the sea eventually led them to freedom.
The central aisle draws every eye toward the altar and the crucifix. Its tile pattern symbolizes the Church's seven sacraments. Circular forms embedded within the flooring recall the woven mats upon which many martyrs surrendered their lives for Christ. Deep red accents represent the blood they shed, while the woven reed pattern of those burial mats is carved into the ends of the pews.
The church's twin towers are composed in three distinct tiers, symbolizing earth, humanity, and heaven. This theme appears first at the entrance tower and again where the arms of the cruciform plan intersect. The central tower creates a soaring vertical space that lifts one's eyes heavenward while sheltering the sacred moments of worship and the celebration of the sacraments below.
Throughout the church, the repeating rhythm of structure, light, and shadow creates a cathedral-like cadence. Natural light pours in from above and filters through the interior arcades, symbolizing the steady rhythm of the Church's life and worshipโthe weekly gathering of the faithful and the continual light of Christ entering our lives.
It has been one of the greatest honors of my career to play a small part in this remarkable journey of faith. I continue to meet people who tell me they are inspired simply by seeing the church as they travel along Interstate 85.
Rising 118 feet above the center of the church's cruciform design, the steeple crowns, one of the highest points in Gwinnett County. Its prominent location allows it to be seen for miles along the I-85 corridor, serving as both a landmark and a visible symbol of faith for countless travelers throughout metro Atlanta.
Whenever someone tells me they admire the church from the highway, my response is always the same: "You need to go inside." While the exterior stands as a beacon of hope and faith, it is within the sanctuary that the parish's remarkable story truly unfolds. Every architectural detail reveals the history, sacrifice, and enduring spirit of the Vietnamese Martyrs, transforming the building from a beautiful landmark into a living testament of faith.
That inspiration continues today.
Recently, we welcomed a talented Vietnamese architecture student as a summer intern at Sizemore Group. She had previously visited the church with friends and was excited to work for the firm that helped bring it to life. As she learned more about its symbolism and history, she even wrote an article about Holy Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church to share with others.
Moments like that remind me that architecture is about far more than buildings. It is about preserving stories, honoring sacrifice, strengthening communities, and creating places that inspire future generations.
Working alongside this parish has deepened my own understanding of our shared faith and of the precious gift of religious freedom in the United States. As part of that continuing journey, I will travel to Vietnam next February on a mission trip to serve the faithful there. I look forward to seeing the land, meeting the people, and experiencing firsthand the culture and faith that have inspired so much goodness in our world.
Congratulations to Holy Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church on 20 years of faith, perseverance, and witness. May God continue to bless this parish and all who enter its doors for generations to come.
Authored by William J. de St. Aubin, AIA, CEO, Sizemore Group: Lumen Member
