Since 1831, St. Patrick Catholic Church has stood tall in the heart of the Acre neighborhood. Today, in addition to serving Irish and French parishioners, the church offers native language services to small communities of Cambodian and Vietnamese Catholics. To Lowell's Cambodian community, St. Patrick's Church represents even more than just an invitation to practice Catholicism. It is the home of An Ros, Americas first Cambodian deacon, only the second in the world. St. Patrick's Parish School has a student body that is primarily Asian. The church is also the site of civic debate and discussion, allowing Southeast Asians to address and resolve important neighbor- hood issues. It served as the first home of the St. Julie Asian Center, (now located in the Lower Highlands), offering instruction in English, child care, American citizenship, nutrition, and health and safety. For reasons beyond religion, St. Patrick's is an institutional anchor within an often changing neighborhood landscape.
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