Our Lady of La Vang ( vi, Đức Mẹ La Vang) refers to a reported

Marian apparition A Marian apparition is a reported supernatural appearance by Mary, the mother of Jesus, or a series of related such appearances during a period of time. In the Catholic Church, in order for a reported appearance to be classified as a Marian a ...

at a time when

Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

were persecuted and killed in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

. The Shrine of our Lady of La Vang (Basilica of Our Lady of La Vang) is situated in what is today Hai Phu commune in Hải Lăng District of Quảng Trị Province in Central Vietnam.

History

Fearing the spread of Catholicism, the Cảnh Thịnh

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...

restricted the practice of Catholicism in the country in 1798. Soon thereafter, the emperor issued an anti-Catholic edict and persecution ensued. Many people sought refuge in the rainforest of

La Vang La Vang or Lavang is a location in Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam. It is the site of the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of La Vang (Đức Mẹ La Vang), a Roman Catholic sanctuary, commemorating a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary that was seen ...

in Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam, and many became very ill. While hiding in the jungle, the community gathered every night at the foot of a tree to pray the rosary. One night, an apparition surprised them. In the branches of the tree a lady appeared, wearing the traditional Vietnamese ''

áo dài The (English pronunciation: ; (''North''), (''South'')) is a Vietnamese national garment worn by both sexes but most commonly by women. Besides suits and dresses nowadays, men and women can also wear áo dài on formal occasions. It is a ...

'' dress and holding a child in her arms, with two angels beside her. The people present interpreted the vision as the Virgin Mary and the infant

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

. They said that Our Lady comforted them and told them to boil leaves from the trees for medicine to cure the illness. Legend states that the term "La Vang" was a derivative of the Vietnamese word meaning "crying out". Another hypothesis is that La Vang is distorted from the toponym ''Lá Vằng'', ''lá'' meaning leaf and ''vằng'' meaning

jasminum subtriplinerve ''Jasminum subtriplinerve'' is a species of jasmine, in the family Oleaceae Oleaceae, also known as the olive family, is a taxonomic family of flowering shrubs, trees, and a few lianas in the order Lamiales, It presently comprises 28 genera, ...

, a tree species whose leaves are used to made a

tisane Herbal teas, also known as herbal infusions and less commonly called tisanes (UK and US , US also ), are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. Oftentimes herb tea, or the plain t ...

; according to an ancient practice, a location was sometimes named after a prominent local species of plant or animal. In 1802 the Catholics returned to their villages, passing on the story of the apparition in La Vang and its message. As the story of the apparition spread, many came to pray at this site and to offer incense. In 1820, a chapel was built. From 1830 to 1885 another wave of persecutions decimated the Catholic population, during the height of which the chapel in honour of Our Lady of La Vang was destroyed. In 1886, construction on a new chapel began. Following its completion, Bishop Gaspar (Loc) consecrated the chapel in honour of Our Lady Help of Christians, in 1901. On December 8, 1954, the statue of Our Lady of La Vang was brought from Tri Bun back to the holy shrine. The Vietnamese Bishops Conference chose the church of Our Lady of La Vang as the National Shrine in honour of the Immaculate Conception. La Vang became the National Marian Center of Vietnam on April 13, 1961.

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 28 Oc ...

elevated the Church of Our Lady of La Vang to the rank of a minor basilica on August 22, 1961. Though there is no official Vatican recognition of this event as a Marian apparition, on June 19, 1998,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

publicly recognized the importance of Our Lady of La Vang and expressed desire to rebuild the La Vang Basilica in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the first vision. In the Philippines, the Our Lady of La Vang Church at Viet Ville, Barangay Santa Lourdes in

Puerto Princesa City Puerto Princesa, officially the City of Puerto Princesa (Cuyonon: ''Siyudad i'ang Puerto Princesa''; fil, Lungsod ng Puerto Princesa), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Mimaropa region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, ...

Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in t ...

. Our Lady of La Vang has become a patroness of Puerto Princesa and patroness of Palawan. She was known as ''Inang Lala'' (Mother Lala). In May 2022, Archbishop

Joseph Nguyễn Chí Linh Joseph (Giuse) Nguyễn Chí Linh (born 22 November 1949) is a Vietnamese prelate of the Catholic Church who has been a bishop since 2004 and the Archbishop of Huế since 2016. Biography He was born Nguyễn Chí Linh in Ba Lang, Nghi Sơn, ...

announced the dedication and consecration of the new basilica to be during the La Vang congress in 2023, that will happen from 14 to 15 August. File:Tháp chuông La Vang.JPG File:Ba cây đa ở La Vang.JPG File:Tượng Đức Mẹ La Vang.JPG File:Toàn cảnh quảng trường La Vang.JPG, Panorama

Churches outside Vietnam

Basilica National Shrine Immaculate Conception DC 17

Australia

* Our Lady of La Vang Shrine -

Melbourne, Victoria Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Canada

* Our Lady of La Vang Parish -

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

website: http://www.lavangparish.org/

Philippines

* Our Lady of La Vang Church, Viet-Ville, Puerto Princesa City,

United States

* Our Lady of La Vang Community (Church of the Visitacion) -

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

website: https://visitacionchurch.org/ *

Our Lady of La Vang Parish Our Lady of La Vang Parish ( vi, Giáo Xứ Đức Mẹ La Vang, es, Iglesia Católica Nuestra Señora de La Vang), formerly Saint Patrick Proto-Cathedral Parish, is a Vietnamese Americans, Vietnamese national parish and former cathedral of the ...

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

website: http://ducmelavangparish.org/ * Our Lady of La Vang Parish -

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

; website: http://www.lavangtucson.com/ * Our Lady of La Vang Parish -

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

website: http://lavangchurch.org/ * Our Lady of La Vang Shrine ( Christ Cathedral) - Garden Grove, California website
https://www.rcbo.org/community-story/lady-of-la-vang-shrine/
* Vietnamese Catholic Center Diocese of Orange (Hội La Vang) -

Santa Ana, California Santa Ana () is the second most populous city and the county seat of Orange County, California. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census, making Santa Ana the 13th-m ...

website: https://www.hoiducmelavang.org/ * Our Lady of La Vang Church -

website: http://ourladyoflavang.org/ * Our Lady of La Vang Church -

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

* Our Lady of La Vang Parish -

Happy Valley, Oregon Happy Valley is a suburban city in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. Happy Valley is near the northwest edge of Clackamas County, Oregon, United States approximately 10 miles to the southeast of downtown Portland, Oregon. The population was ...

website: http://gxlavangoregon.com/ * Our Lady of La Vang Shrine -

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

website: http://lavangshrine.net/ * Our Lady of Vietnam Catholic Church -

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ce ...

website: https://www.olvn-dc.org/index.html * Shrine of Our Lady of La Vang -

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

(also serves as the Vietnamese Catholic Center in Las Vegas) website: http://lavanglasvegas.com/ * Shrine of Our Lady of La Vang

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a large minor Catholic basilica and national shrine in the United States in Washington, D.C., located at 400 Michigan Avenue Northeast, adjacent to Catholic University. ...

- Washington, D.C. website: https://www.nationalshrine.org/blog/remembering-the-martyrs-of-vietnam/ * Shrine of Our Lady of La Vang (National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes) - Emmitsburg, Maryland website: https://www.nsgrotto.org/plan-your-visit.html * Our Lady of La Vang Catholic Church -

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore wa ...

website: http://olol-baltimore.net/ * Our Lady of La Vang Vietnamese Mission (Giáo Xứ Đức Mẹ La Vang Miami) -

Hallandale Beach, Florida Hallandale Beach (formerly known simply as Hallandale) is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is named after Luther Halland, the son of a Swedish worker for Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad. As of the 2 ...

website: http://ducmelavangmiami.com/ * Our Lady of La Vang Church -

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...

website: http://lavangnm.org/ * Our Lady Of Vietnam Church -

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...

website: http://giaoxuducmevietnam.org/ * Our Lady of La Vang Church -

Wyoming, Michigan Wyoming is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 76,501 at the 2020 census. Wyoming is the second most-populated community in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area and is bordered by Grand Rapids on the northeas ...

* Our Lady of La Vang Church -

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequo ...

* Our Lady of La Vang Church -

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia B ...

website: http://gxdmlvvn.net/ * Our Lady of La Vang Parish -

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Sout ...

website: http://www.ducmelavangraleigh.org/ * Our Lady of La Vang Catholic Church -

Greer, South Carolina Greer is a city in Greenville and Spartanburg counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 35,308 as of the 2020 census Greer is part of the Greenville– Anderson– Mauldin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is add ...

website: https://www.lavangsc.org/ File:Gentilly28May07OurLadyVietnamChurch.jpg, "Our Lady of Lavang" Vietnam Catholic Church in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

File:Gentilly28May07OurLadyVietnamPavillion.jpg, "Our Lady of Lavang" Vietnam Catholic Church in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

File:Our Lady of La Vang Vietnamese Mission in Hallandale Beach, Florida.jpg, Our Lady of La Vang Vietnamese Mission (Giáo Xứ Đức Mẹ La Vang Miami) in

File:Our Lady of Vietnam Church SS MD.JPG, Our Lady of Vietnam Catholic Church in Silver Spring, Maryland. File:Our Lady of Lavang Cathoic Church in Houston, TX.jpg, :Our Lady of Lavang Catholic Church in Houston, TX. File:Our Lady of La Vang Happy Valley, OR.jpg, Our Lady of La Vang

File:Our Lady of La Vang - South Carolina.jpg, Our Lady of La Vang ( Họ Đạo Đức Mẹ La Vang) Catholic Church in

References

External links

* * * {{Apparitions approved by the Catholic Church

History of Catholicism in Vietnam Vietnamese Roman Catholic saints Religion in Vietnam