Finding Mother Mary in Vietnam

In June, P and I went to Vietnam on a mini pilgrimage. In central Vietnam there are three Marian shrines, all with stories of miracles attached to them which is why people flock to these places, but more importantly, these places represent hope, that God is our loving Father who not only gives us eternal life through Jesus, His Son, but He also takes care of us while we sojourn on earth and He has given us a mother to run to when we need a woman’s gentle assurances and feminine embrace. 

Mary is theotokos, which in Greek means Mother of God. She is the only human being born without sin, the Immaculate Conception, who is worthy enough to carry Jesus in her womb and bring Him into our world to be our saviour. She is the second Eve, who says yes to God where the original Eve said no, choosing, instead, to believe the serpent’s words. But beyond Catholic dogma, the reason why people love and revere her as Jesus’ mama is because she is our best model for faith-filled obedience. As Saint Alphonsus de Liguori said Mary was the most perfect among the saints because she was always perfectly united to the will of God. She was sensitive to what others needed (and still is) and she quietly acted with powerful results. 

Through various times in history and in many places all over the world, Mother Mary has appeared to mostly children or simple folk to bring a message much needed. It is usually a message of encouragement and conversion, to turn back to God and His ways. 

At La Vang, Mary appeared during a time of persecution of Catholics in the late 1700s. She apparently comforted the people who were hiding in the forest and asked them to boil the leaves from the trees in order to cure a prevailing illness among the refugees, and she promised to receive their prayers. Despite efforts through the preceding years to curb Catholicism, the killing of people (more than one hundred thousand Vietnamese Christians died as martyrs) and the destruction of a chapel honouring Our Lady, the faith persisted and today La Vang has become a Marian shrine where tens of thousands flock to every year, seeking answers to their prayers and miracles of physical healing. 

When we were at La Vang, P and I were privileged to count as fellow pilgrims a newly ordained priest and his family, a recently married couple and their families offering thanksgiving, and a group of nuns visiting from north Vietnam. Everywhere we turned we saw people offering up touching prayer tributes of dance and song which made our visit so special. The Spirit of God was amongst the pilgrims and we were blessed to be able to soak in His blessings.

The peace we felt as we sat and prayed in front of the beautiful statue of Our Lady of

Tra Kieu was inestimable. This time it was 1885 and the anti-French sentiment took the form of an attack on a small Catholic parish in south central Vietnam. Praying before the statue of Mother Mary was the villagers’ first line of defence. It worked. Even when cannons were brought in, the cannonballs would veer inexplicably off-course. The soldiers saw a lady dressed in white and even though they aimed for her they could not touch her. Eventually the attacks ceased as nothing seemed to work. The protection of Our Mother was sufficient. 

In Da Nang, we visited Our Lady of Sao Bien or Stella Maris, Star of the Sea. Situated in a public park next to the convent of Saint Paul de Chartres, the statue stands on what was once part of the convent compound. When the government confiscated the land, the sisters refused to move the statue from its original spot despite official efforts. The authorities finally desisted when a deadly typhoon hit, claiming lives and causing great damage to the area except for the temporary roof over the statue and the statue itself.

I was amazed and delighted that there is a religious park where Our Mother is so accessible to the public. It is a serene oasis where people trickle by during the day regularly to pray. Surrounding the statue are little plaques set in concrete, each commemorating an answered prayer. 

The heart of a mother is deeply intuitive. A mother never ceases to love and care for her children. She puts their needs above her own comfort, gathering the desires of their hearts, only to enable the granting of those desires through her Son. She believes in their goodness and hopes beyond their flaws and failures, forgiving them time and time again. She advises them gently, reminding them to do the right thing always. She, herself, is a model of virtue, a guiding light.

I thank God for the gift of Mother Mary, without whom I could not be a good wife and mother. I returned home from Vietnam, inspired and resolved to give my fiat to God more wholeheartedly, today, and every day.