Rome (Italy). On 24 May 2025, the day of the Solemnity of Mary Help of Christians, some Vietnamese Daughters of Mary Help of Christians present in Rome had the opportunity to join 200 religious and lay people to pray in front of the statue of the Vietnamese Madonna of La Vang, in the Vatican Gardens.
The statue was blessed on 29 April 2025, in a ceremony presided by the Archbishop of Saigon Joseph Nguyễn Năng, president of the Vietnamese Bishops’ Conference, who had said during the ceremony: “Through the presence of this statue of Our Lady of La Vang we trust that the Virgin protects the Holy Father and anyone who passes by here. We believe that Our Lady here will also intercede for all the communities of the Vietnamese Church wherever they are.”
The statue, made of white marble from Quy Hop, Nghe An, is placed in a solemn position, near the bell of the Jubilee of 2000. In the background, can be seen the dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica, as a sign of the union of the faith of the Vietnamese people at the center of the universal Church, the center of the faith of all believers.
The community gathered in the afternoon to celebrate a moment of Marian veneration with flowers and prayers. The emotion of being next to the Mother, of being able to raise together prayers and songs in the Vietnamese language in the heart of Rome, was great. The atmosphere of devotion in the Marian month, so dear to the Vietnamese land, is also lived here, bringing with it the warmth of the homeland.
In front of the statue of Mary, the heart feels comforted, as if it had found a refuge. Mary is always the Helper, the source of help for her children, as she once was for the Vietnamese people, protecting them with maternal love.
Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, former President of the Governorate of Vatican City, also participated in the prayer and helped to make possible the installation of the statue. In his talk, he expressed the joy of being able to call the statue, “Our Lady of La Vang, Vietnam-Vatican”, because Mary is not only close to the Vietnamese people, but she is the Mother of all.
For the FMA present, this special moment of prayer has become a personal invitation from Our Lady to be helpers also, people who support and unite, as Mary did, does, and will continue to do.
According to tradition, the Virgin Mary first appeared in La Vang in 1798, when the persecution of Vietnamese Catholics began. Many Catholics near the city of Quang Tri fled and sought refuge in the forest of La Vang, where they had to face hunger, thirst, disease due to the cold climate, poisonous waters, and wild animals hiding there.
The faithful knew that they could rely only on God and the Virgin Mary. They often met under an ancient banyan tree, praying, reciting the rosary, comforting and supporting each other. One day, while praying the rosary together, they saw a beautiful woman wearing a long cloak, holding a child in her arms, with two angels holding lamps at her sides. They recognized that it was the Virgin Mary.
Our Lady was affectionate, showed mercy, and comforted the faithful, inviting them to be happy and patient. She taught them how to collect a type of leaf available in the area, boil it in water, and drink it to cure their diseases. Our Lady promised, “I have heard your prayers. From now on, to anyone who comes to pray here, I will give them graces.” From that moment on, Our Lady appeared many times to support and comfort her children in their difficulties during the hundred years of persecution (Source: AsiaNews).
