News Item: : Our Lady of La Vang
(Category: Torch of The Faith News)
Posted by admin
Wednesday 01 October 2008 - 15:21:25
Please pray for Cao as he leaves for a period in Vietnam, during which he will visit the Shrine of Our Lady of La Vang.
During the harsh persecution which left over 100,000 Vietnamese Catholics martyred Our Lady appeared at La Vang in 1798. A group of Catholics were hiding in the jungle and they gathered together to pray the rosary for protection. Our Lady appeared to them with the child Jesus in her arms and two angels at her side. She told the people to boil leaves for medicine and promised to answer the prayers of souls who came to the spot. Over the years the pilgrims came until a church was opened by Bishop Gasper there in 1901 with 12,000 pilgrims in attendance.
In 1961 the Bishops of Vietnam selected La Vang's church as the National Marian Centre, and the following year it was elevated to Basilica status by Pope John XXIII. Tragically it was destroyed during the Vietnam War in 1978. Pilgrims continued to flow however, and in 1988 Pope John Paul II drew fresh attention to its importance as a recognized shrine whilst canonizing 117 Vietnamese martyrs.
We pray that Cao will be kept safe in his travels and will have a blessed pilgrimage.
Interestingly we discovered that Cao and I were both born in 1972. And Cao recently bought a classic Honda 350 which had been imported from America. It's year of manufacture? 1972. Yep, it was a vintage year!Â
(Although I'm not sure which is creakier; me or the bike!)
This news item is from Torch of The Faith
( http://www.torchofthefaith.com/news.php?extend.66 )
(Category: Torch of The Faith News)
Posted by admin
Wednesday 01 October 2008 - 15:21:25
Please pray for Cao as he leaves for a period in Vietnam, during which he will visit the Shrine of Our Lady of La Vang.During the harsh persecution which left over 100,000 Vietnamese Catholics martyred Our Lady appeared at La Vang in 1798. A group of Catholics were hiding in the jungle and they gathered together to pray the rosary for protection. Our Lady appeared to them with the child Jesus in her arms and two angels at her side. She told the people to boil leaves for medicine and promised to answer the prayers of souls who came to the spot. Over the years the pilgrims came until a church was opened by Bishop Gasper there in 1901 with 12,000 pilgrims in attendance.
In 1961 the Bishops of Vietnam selected La Vang's church as the National Marian Centre, and the following year it was elevated to Basilica status by Pope John XXIII. Tragically it was destroyed during the Vietnam War in 1978. Pilgrims continued to flow however, and in 1988 Pope John Paul II drew fresh attention to its importance as a recognized shrine whilst canonizing 117 Vietnamese martyrs.
We pray that Cao will be kept safe in his travels and will have a blessed pilgrimage.
Interestingly we discovered that Cao and I were both born in 1972. And Cao recently bought a classic Honda 350 which had been imported from America. It's year of manufacture? 1972. Yep, it was a vintage year! (Although I'm not sure which is creakier; me or the bike!)
This news item is from Torch of The Faith
( http://www.torchofthefaith.com/news.php?extend.66 )