In the former kingdom of Annam, in 1798, Emperor Can Trinh banned the Catholic religion, introduced by Spanish and French missionaries. This marked the beginning of a period of persecutions and the destruction of all places of worship. Christians from Co Vuu, fleeing persecution, sought refuge in the "Rain Forest" at La Vang.
There, the Christians often gathered at the foot of a tree to pray the rosary. One evening in 1798, the Virgin appeared to them dressed in the traditional áo dài, with the Child Jesus in her arms. She said to them, "My children, what you have asked of me, I grant you, and henceforth all who come here to pray to me, I will hear their prayers." In 1802, the persecution subsided, and the villagers returned to their homes. The rumor of the Marian apparition spread, attracting pilgrims: the first chapel was built in 1820.
What the Blessed Virgin had promised, she fulfilled. Due to the numerous graces she bestowed at La Vang, pilgrims flocked there, and the cult of Our Lady of La Vang continued to grow. In particular, in these countries where sterility is considered a curse, many couples received the grace of offspring. Our Lady also provided protection: the ever-present tiger never again entered the territory of La Vang since the apparition, and there were no victims among the devotees of La Vang.
New Persecutions and the First Reconstruction
Around 1830, a new wave of repression fell upon the Christians in the region, under Emperor Tu Duc. Thirty martyrs were burned alive at La Vang, and the sanctuary was destroyed.
As soon as the persecutions ended, in 1886, a modest chapel was rebuilt, and soon a church was erected in 1901. It was consecrated before 12,000 faithful by Bishop Caspar, under the title of Our Lady Help of Christians. On this occasion, Our Lady of La Vang was declared "protector of the Catholics of Vietnam." After the Geneva Accords of 1954 and the partition of Vietnam, the statue of Our Lady of La Vang, which had been kept safe during the Indochina War, was returned to the church; this happened on December 8, 1954.
The church was again destroyed by American bombings launched by North Vietnam during the summer of 1972. Only the bell tower remained. On August 15, 1998, 70,000 faithful nonetheless commemorated the 200th anniversary of the Virgin Mary's apparitions at La Vang. In 2018, the sanctuary's grounds were returned to the Church, and new construction began. But unfortunately, the spirit of the Second Vatican Council and its so-called inculturation came through: the designers wanted the new sanctuary "to be in harmony with Vietnamese culture." It now looks nothing like a church from the outside; it is instead a sort of large pagoda.
Our Lady of La Vang, pray for them and protect the Christians of Vietnam!
Source: Lou Pescadou N° 245 /FSSPX.news
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