Shane Dixon Kavanaugh/Staff

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The vile act of vandalism still lingered Christmas Eve morning as Zien Phan and a few of his fellow parishioners wielded hammers and two-by-fours to repair the entrance to Our Lady of Lavang in Northeast Portland.

Just hours earlier, police say, a man in an SUV had intentionally plowed through the doors of the Catholic church, pulverizing much of the interior before driving away.

“I took the day off from work to help,” said Phan, a contractor by trade. “All we want is for there to be Christmas here.”

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Shane Dixon Kavanaugh/Staff

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Some hundred other volunteers joined him at the parish on Northeast Alameda Street and 54th Avenue, which draws Vietnamese Catholics from across the Portland area each week.

Despite the wreckage, they were determined to hold the evening’s first Mass by 5 p.m.

Police say Hieu John Phung, 35, rammed his Acura MDX through the church around 12:15 a.m. Monday.

His car destroyed nearly every pew as it turned circles inside the main sanctuary, church employees told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

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Hieu John Phung. Photo credit: Multnomah County Sheriff's Office

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Phung later called 911 and reported what he had done, said Sgt. Chris Burley, a Portland police spokesman. Authorities booked him into jail Monday morning.

“Nobody here knows who he is,” said The Rev. Ansgar Pham as he assigned tasks and fielded questions from church members. “He’s not one of our parishioners.”

Burley, the police spokesman, said he was not aware of motive.

Few of the volunteers even seemed to care as they got to work.

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Shane Dixon Kavanaugh/Staff

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By midmorning, a pile of the splintered pews lay stacked next to the Nativity scene at the edge of church parking lot. A dozen people unfolded metal chairs in the sanctuary, while others swept and scrubbed the floors.

The sound of saws and drills filled the air. Men on ladders and with tape measures hung plywood over damaged walls and corners.

“When Father Ansgar puts out the word, people show up,” said Peter Smith, the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Portland, who had just arrived.

Smith said Portland’s Vietnamese Catholic community began to take root in 1975 as refugees arrived following the war in their home country.

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Shane Dixon Kavanaugh/Staff

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More than 4,000 people now belong to Our Lady of Lavang, Smith said.

“We’ve got a lot of friends who go here,” said Mitch Ratigan, who lives in the neighborhood and attends church at St. Rose of Lima Parish. “I wanted to see if I could offer a hand.”

Ratigan stood and watched the hive of activity unfolding in front of him.

Finally, he said: “I think they’ll be ready by tonight.”

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh

skavanaugh@oregonian.com

503-294-7632 || @shanedkavanaugh

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Shane Dixon Kavanaugh/Staff