When preparing for the “historic” blessing of the long-awaited Our Lady of La Vang Shrine last summer at the Christ Cathedral, Bishop Thanh Thai Nguyen said he was already thinking ahead to hosting a Marian Day celebration
The Catholic Diocese of Orange, serving for one of the largest Vietnamese communities in the world outside of Vietnam, is expecting “thousands of the faithful from around the region and country” to visit on Friday and Saturday, July 1 and 2, for its inaugural Marian Day celebrations.
Masses, processions, rallies, worship, dancing, food and entertainment are planned, with the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine as the centerpiece.
The shrine has provided “reverence, joy and inspiration” to visitors of the Christ Cathedral campus since its completion after years of planning and fundraising, diocese officials said. The shrine features a 12-foot-tall statue of the Virgin Mary in a traditional Vietnamese ao dai before a background that represents the forest of La Vang where it is believed the Marian apparition appeared in 1798 to comfort persecuted Catholics in Central Vietnam.
The Diocese of Orange’s festivities took inspiration from the annual Marian Day event held in Carthage, Missouri – a pilgrimage-style festival that’s taken place since 1978 and drawing tens of thousands of people.
Bishop Nguyen said he visited the Marian Days in Missouri himself to “learn and observe” and follow their model of celebrating.
“I think the highlight of the Marian Day that I learned from Missouri is the Marian devotion among the Vietnamese people.” he said. “I have learned that, and I have experienced that, for the past four and a half years working toward the shrine of Our Lady of La Vang.”
Too much “loneliness” and “fear” persist in today’s society, despite communication seemingly being at an all-time high, Nguyen said. Marian Day celebrations are a way for people to “feel love and feel like being part of something greater than themselves” to face this loneliness and find peace, he said.
“I believe that out of their loneliness they can come to the Marian Day and from the Mass, where they can pray and from the confession and Marian procession, they will feel the love of Mary toward them,” he said.
Father Christopher Smith, the rector of the cathedral who is retiring at the end of June, said being able to provide spaces at the Christ Cathedral for cultural events – including Marian Day celebrations – “fits into the mission” of the Diocese of Orange and Catholic Church. The diocese makes its facilities available for several cultural groups and offers Mass every weekend in English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese.
With its “symbolism as a protector,” of Our Lady of La Vang provides a “message of healing and comfort” to the Vietnamese community, Smith added. He said he hopes the Marian Day celebration builds connection “among peoples no matter what their cultural background is.”
“In these days, events that can help build unity are very much needed in the world” he said. “So I pray that (the) Marian days ahead will be that; not only a blessing for the people who come, but a blessing for all of us.”
