Our Lady of La Vang: History and Theology of a Vietnamese Devotion
Ebook
Overview
As the first full-length book of research in English, Our Lady of La Vang: History and Theology of a Vietnamese Devotion demonstrates that Our Lady is the ecclesial Mother of the Church in Vietnam and, at the same time, the ecclesial Mother of the universal Church. The title “Mother of the Church,” a title that only fully came into its own with Vatican II and the subsequent endorsement of the popes, especially Pope Francis, was inculturated in the uniqueness of Vietnamese Catholic belief and practice from the time of Our Lady’s first apparition. What we see in the story and the cult of Our Lady is a piety and theology of Mary as “Mother of the Church,” which, as it developed, also solidified an identity of Vietnamese Catholics as such. One reason is that, just as Our Lady said she would, she inspired fortitude and endurance under persecution. The persecution of Christians in Vietnam lasted through nearly the entire nineteenth century in one form or another. As the official theology of Mary, Mother of the Church, developed more at Vatican II and in its legacy, it found a home in the hearts of Vietnamese Catholics where Mary had already been inculturated as ecclesial Mother.
Sister Doctor Tran’s book is an historical and theological tour de force on Our Lady of La Vang. It is a welcome addition to similar studies on Marian traditions such as Our Lady of Guadalupe, Lourdes, and Black Madonnas. The volume makes distinctive contributions for understanding Vietnamese history, Catholicism in Vietnam and the Vietnamese diaspora, and the theologies of Mary in the Church universal.
——Timothy Matovina, author of Theologies of Guadalupe: From the Era of Conquest to Pope Francis
This book offers readers both a history and a theology of Our Lady of Lang Vang as the title promises. However, this learned book is also a form of praise. Under Sr. Kim’s guidance, readers trace the historical and theological developments surrounding Mary in Vietnam even as these very academic tracings become part of that same devotion, rooted in Mary’s appearance in La Vang in 1798.
——Katie Cavadini, professor of theology, University of Notre Dame
Mary Anh Thi Kim Tran’s book gathers invaluable sources about the development of the cult of Our Lady of La Vang in Vietnam. It is a rare book that analyzes the devotion to Our Lady of La Vang among Vietnamese Catholics from historical, cultural, and spiritual perspectives.
——Thao Nguyen, associate professor, Santa Clara University
Vietnamese Catholics hold deep reverence for the memory of their martyred ancestors, who found solace and strength in the intercession of Our Lady of La Vang during periods of persecution. Sr. M.F. Kim Anh, OP, has notably contributed to the global awareness of this rich Catholic heritage through her depiction of Our Lady of La Vang, effectively sharing the spiritual and cultural legacy of Vietnamese Catholics with a broader audience. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
——Hy Nguyen, PSS, associate professor of systematic theology, St. Mary’s Seminary and University
- Title: Our Lady of La Vang: History and Theology of a Vietnamese Devotion
- Authors: John C. Cavadini, Mary Kim Anh Thi Tran
- Publisher: Pickwick Publications
- Print Publication Date: 2024
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Pages: 252
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9798385219711, 9798385219704, 9798385219698
- Resource ID: LLS:9798385219711
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-23T00:19:51Z
Sister Mary Kim Anh Thi Tran is a Dominican Sister of Saint Rose of Lima, Vietnam, and earned her PhD at the University of Notre Dame. She is a lecturer at Saint Joseph Jesuit Scholasticate in Vietnam.