Apparitions of Mary
La Vang, Viet Nam
Index
Mary Approaches Us As A Loving Mother
During
the 18th century, struggles for power and domination besieged the country of
Vietnam. The northern regions fell under the authority of the Trinh
family, and the southern regions under that of the Nguyen family. By the
end of the eighteenth century, peasant uprisings and emerging rebel forces
threatened both families. The strongest among the rebel leaders were three
brothers from Tay Son. After defeating the Trinh and Nguyen families, one
of the Tay Son brothers became emperor. Upon his death in 1792, the throne
passed to his son, who became the Emperor Canh Thinh. At the same time,
members of the Nguyen family continued their insurgency, trying to reclaim the
throne with the help of a French missionary.
Fearing
the intrusion of the Catholic Church, Emperor Canh Thinh restricted the practice
of Catholicism in the country. Soon thereafter, the emperor issued an
anti-Catholic edict and ordered all Catholic churches and seminaries destroyed.
Fierce persecutions ensued. When these persecutions were at their worst,
Christians from the local villages and parishes fled to the nearby jungle or the
La Vang region. Legend states that the term "La Vang" was a derivative of
the Vietnamese word meaning "crying out," and it referred to the sound the
villagers made when chasing away the wild beasts or the cries for help of the
persecuted Christians. Modern scholars believe it comes from the ancient
practice of naming a location for a genus of tree or plant native to the area,
La (leaf) Vang (herbal seeds).
While hiding in this deep jungle, the community gathered every night at the foot
of a great tree to pray the rosary. One night, an apparition surprised
them. In the branches of the tree stood a beautiful lady in a magnificent
cloak, carrying an infant son in her arms,
with two angels at her side.
The lovely lady presented herself as the Mother of God. Encouraging and
consoling the people, she gave them a special sign of her loving care: the
leaves of a fern to treat their physical ailments and the promise to receive
their prayers with maternal generosity. All who gathered and prayed on
this spot would have their prayers heard and their petitions granted.
After this first apparition, the Blessed Mother appeared
many times in this same place, throughout the period of nearly one hundred years
of religious persecution.
In 1802, following the end of the
persecutions, the Christians returned to their villages, passing on the story
of the apparition in La Vang and its message. As the story of the
apparitions spread, 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 honor 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 honor of Our Lady
Help of Christians, in 1901.
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