IN THE HEART OF ORANGE County sits a thriving parish that is home to a flourishing Vietnamese Catholic culture, a devoted Hispanic community and English-speaking faithful. Our Lady of La Vang’s recent 20th anniversary celebration showcased what unites all Catholics: The Holy Mass and the Eucharist.
More than 2,000 gathered on Aug. 15 for a special outdoor trilingual Mass celebrated by Bishop Thanh Thai Nguyen beneath the canopy of a replica of the Shrine to Our Lady of La Vang in Vietnam. Co-celebrants included Our Lady of La Vang pastor Fr. Kiet Anh Ta and a group of priests and deacons from the surrounding area.
“Today we celebrate with deep gratitude to God and look back on what God has done for our community,” said Bishop Nguyen.
PHOTO BY YUAN WANG/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
Under the leadership of Fr. Joseph Son Nguyen, the parish’s first pastor, Our Lady of La Vang was founded in 2004 in a small, rented house a few blocks from its current location on South Harbor Boulevard. Building progressed quickly, and the permanent church was dedicated in August 2006. The parish continued to grow with a bold vision — not only for a church and support buildings, including offices and a hall, but, most importantly, for a shrine to Our Lady of La Vang, replicating the original shrine in the Hải Lăng District of Quảng Trị Province in central Vietnam. By August 2024, the parish had dedicated the shrine, a new hall, and office buildings.
Parishioner Tuan Pham, who serves on the finance committee, has been part of the parish’s growth since its earliest days.
“While Our Lady of La Vang is the patroness of Vietnamese Catholicism, she is the mother of us all,” Pham said. “Our parish is very diverse, with more than 4,500 registered families including a large contingent of English- and Spanish-speaking parishioners, as well as Vietnamese-speaking parishioners. Most parishioners come from the Santa Ana area.
“This country is a melting pot,” added Pham, “but religion is so important in carrying our culture forward. It is hard to immigrate if you do not have your religious roots with you to help you assimilate and stay grounded. To build this parish, all the cultures had to work together. We worked hand in hand. Everybody brought their God-given talents to serve the Church.”
The evening also featured a reception, dancing and entertainment.
Our Lady of La Vang is a very active parish, with 34 adult Vietnamese ministries, 17 Hispanic ministries and eight English ministries. Children’s education programs are offered in three languages, and the parish also offers an English-language program and Eucharistic Youth Ministry.
In 1798, Our Lady appeared to a desperate Catholic community that had fled persecution and taken refuge in the forests of Vietnam. Offering comfort and hope then, Our Lady of La Vang continues that mission today in the heart of Orange County, drawing together all who remember her love and kindness.