50 Years After His Own Journey, Knight Aids Effort to Help Refugees
June 24, 2025
A Des Moines doctor shared a personal story with his Knights of Columbus friends that surprised and shocked them.
He was a refugee from Vietnam who experienced a treacherous journey to the United States, then was embraced by Catholics who helped his family begin anew.
The friends asked Dr. Jim Duong to share his story as a means of celebrating the 50th anniversary of his arrival in the United States. He agreed to do it on the condition that funds raised would help Catholic Charities and St. Ambrose Cathedral Parish’s Refugee Ministry.
On June 12, the St. Augustin Knights of Columbus Council hosted a multicultural fundraiser titled “Rejoice in Our Iowa Refugees: The Faces Behind the Numbers” that benefitted local refugees.
The evening began with Mass celebrated by Bishop William Joensen, followed by a dinner with Vietnamese, Sudanese, Ethiopian, and Eritrean ethnic foods. During the dinner, refugees (who fled their homelands because of the threat of persecution) shared their experiences of coming to America.
Duong shared his story.
In April 1975, Duong, then 11 years old, and his family fled from their home in Saigon. Duong’s father had served in the South Vietnamese army during the Vietnam War, but his position placed his family in danger of persecution.
Duong’s family, promised extradition by the CIA, went to the United States Embassy. However, as the helicopters came and went throughout the night, “our hope of entering the compound to be rescued slowly faded away,” said Duong.
His family sheltered in a church basement and waited until his father rented a shrimp boat that would take them to a U.S. Navy carrier.
Bringing nothing with them to avoid suspicion, Duong’s family embarked on their boat. By the time they reached the coast where the U.S. Navy had been, the carrier was gone.
At that stop, some soldiers from the South Vietnam Navy and their families intercepted the boat and asked to join Duong’s family. The boat that originally had thirteen passengers now had forty passengers. Having the soldiers on the five-day journey turned out to be a blessing. They protected the group from pirates.
Upon reaching Thailand, Duong’s family lived in a camp until August when the U.S. accepted his family to Camp Pendleton, a military base in southern California. This camp would host hundreds of thousands of refugees, some who would have to wait years before being placed. Duong’s family was accepted to the U.S. in August 1975 and was placed in Houston, Texas in September by Catholic Charities.
A family from the local parish, St. Mary Magdalene, sponsored Duong’s family. In November of that year, Duong’s family settled into their new house, furnished by Catholic Charities, and began their life in America.
“The help from the federal and state government agencies, non-governmental organizations like Catholic Charities, the parish, and our sponsor family were critical to [my family’s] success,” Duong said.
Fifty years later, Duong shared his story with refugees in the same position he was once in. “I felt really blessed to be able to repeat that [generosity] from the other point of view,” Duong said.
Refugees served by Catholic Charities and St. Ambrose Cathedral’s refugee ministry in Des Moines will benefit from the fundraiser.
Catholic Charities Executive Director Mike Sheehy shared how Catholic Charities continues to help refugees in the face of federal budget cuts.
Ambassadors Terry Branstad and Ken Quinn spoke about Iowa’s involvement in welcoming refugees, reflecting on the spirit of the late Gov. Robert D. Ray.
The dinner’s goal was to remind all to celebrate refugees with the same zeal the state of Iowa welcomed refugees half a century ago, which is still very much needed today. The organizers also wanted to focus on the positivity in the refugees’ stories, said Duong.
Duong encourages other parishes to host similar events that allow their communities to share their stories, especially in ways that also connect to the Catholic faith.
“Embrace who they [refugees] are instead of asking them to assimilate. Celebrate what they are bringing,” Duong said.
To help St. Ambrose Cathedral’s Refugee Ministry, you can make checks payable to St. Ambrose Cathedral and include refugee ministry in the memo. You can also consider adopting a family or sponsoring activities for the refugee youth like Catholic Youth Camp, National Catholic Youth Conference, or World Youth Day. If you wish to donate items, volunteer, or have any questions, please call the office at 515-288-7411.
To help Catholic Charities through volunteering or donating, please visit catholiccharitiesdm.org/get-involved. If you are an employer who has open entry-level positions and are interested in supporting refugees by providing employment opportunities, please contact Catholic Charities Community Resource Coordinator Dema Abu-Assaf at 515-237-5025 or daasaf@catholiccharitiesdm.org.