About La Vang, Vietnam:
Christians suffered great persecution in Vietnam during the years from 1798 to 1886, when over 100,000 were killed on order of the king, who feared the spread of Catholicism, in what was called the “Great Persecution”.
Many people sought refuge in the rainforest of La Vang 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 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. 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”. Modern scholars believe it comes from the ancient practice of naming a location for a genus of a tree or plant native to the area, La meaning “leaf” and ‘”Vang “herbal seeds”.
In 1802 the Christians returned to their villages, passing on the story of the apparition in La Vang and its message. As the story of the apparition spreads, many came to pray at this site and to offer incense. In 1820, a chapel was built.
From 1830-1885 another wave of persecutions decimated the Christian 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 honor of the Immaculate Conception. La Vang became the National Marian Center of Vietnam on April 13, 1961. Pope John XXIII 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 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 chapel of Our Lady of La Vang is now the Roman Catholic parish church and national shrine in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan. Our Lady of La Vang has become a patroness of Puerto Princesa and patroness of Palawan.
In 1928 the current Basilica was built. In 1962, Pope John XXIII declared the church a Minor Basilica of La Vang but which was later destroyed during fighting in 1972, the communist government has prevented its reconstruction as part of its uneasy political
Despite heavy communist govt restrictions on the Church, every August Viet pilgrims from across the country & ex-pats abroad converge into La Vang for a huge Mass that attracts tens of thousands. Each 3 years this event culminates in an official pilgrimage that usually attracts up to 500,000 who camp on the grounds in tents creating a huge
festive atmosphere of Vietnamese Christianity. The 29th Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of La Vang will be in August 2011
The site houses a pilgrimage center that can provide free accommodation for several hundred visitors (a small donation is expected especially if you are not a pilgrim). There are next to no accomodations nearby or restaurants, getting to La Vang can be organised thru any taxi company with a fixed price of around 700,000 VND.
In typical Viet fashion u will not only find Christians & Catholics praying there, many Buddhists also join in hoping any divine intervention is good
intervention.
Traveling to the Shrine of Our Lady of La Vang in Vietnam:
The Marian shrine in La Vang 60 kms west of Hue Hải Phú, Hải Lăng, Quảng Trị
Address: P54W+78 Hải Phú, Quảng Trị, Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam
Phone: +84 233 3873 390
Pilgrimage Center Our Lady of La Vang:
Address: Hai Phu Commune, Hai Lang District, Quang Tri Province
Phone number: + Managerial Father James Le Si Hien: mobile number 0122.742.8288; fixed number 053.3873390; + Deputy
Priest phone number: 0122.571.5321; + La Vang Office: 053.3873280
Email: ttlavang@gmail.com