The Tran family planned to prepare for Easter services as they do every Sunday: dad Phillip will twist on his Vietnamese society tie and his wife, Lily, will don another silky ao dai.

But today, during Sunday school, their sons Preston, 12, and Justin, 6, will scramble around the grounds hunting for Easter eggs.

As part of Hawai'i's growing Vietnamese Catholic community, the Trans value their connection to the church highly.

Parts of the Trans' story overlap the common immigrant tale: the Trans of 'Aiea scrimp to send their children to a highly rated Catholic school in Nu'uanu.

"Education is very important to us," Phillip Tran said, adding he doesn't want his sons to end up in gangs or involved in drugs, the way children sometimes do when parents work multiple jobs and can't monitor their children.

Walking through St. Theresa's last Sunday, he pointed to uniformed children in smaller groups, noting that they are learning more about their faith. They also will spend an hour in Vietnamese language classes, so they can stay connected to their parents and grandparents.

More than 90 percent of the younger generation speak Vietnamese as a second language, Tran estimates. For their parents, it is the primary language.

Tran passed another schoolroom, where adults study in Vietnamese to become Catholics. The nearby Catholic Charities building, in dire need of a new coat of paint, offers services for immigrants. The established folks will often help newcomers fill out immigration forms or find jobs, he said.

Tran smiled broadly when talking about his family and the life he's made working in a dental lab. But when he talked about how he came to be here, his voice dropped.

Like many Vietnamese in Hawai'i, the struggles in Tran's homeland forced him to flee on a boat at age 14 with an older brother and sister. He and his brother made it; his sister fell ill and died en route.

"We paid the price for freedom," he said, waiting for his reddened eyes to dry.