Our Lady of La Vang Mission (Diocese of Arlington)

Our Lady of La Vang Mission
Dedication:	Our Lady of La Vang
Venerated Saints:	None specified
Diocese:	Diocese of Arlington
Deanery:	Deanery 2
Address:	4315 Robert J. Driscoll Court, Annandale, VA 22003
Coordinates:	38.8572, -77.2297
City:	Annandale, VA
Subdivision:	Virginia
Country:	United States
County:	Fairfax County
Website:	No website specified
Founded:	1975
School:	Yes
Email:

Our Lady of La Vang Mission is a personal parish mission in the Diocese of Arlington, serving the Vietnamese Catholic community in northern Virginia. Dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of Our Lady of La Vang—an apparition reported in 1798 in Vietnam, where Mary appeared to persecuted Catholics offering consolation and remedies during a time of intense anti-Catholic repression—the mission provides pastoral care in the Vietnamese language and according to Vietnamese cultural traditions within the Roman Rite.

Established in 1975 following the arrival of Vietnamese refugees after the fall of Saigon, the mission initially gathered in private homes and borrowed facilities before finding a more permanent home. As of December 17, 2025, it continues to operate as a mission community, offering Masses, sacramental preparation, and cultural celebrations, particularly the annual feast of Our Lady of La Vang on August 15 or the closest weekend.

The devotion to Our Lady of La Vang, recognized by the Vietnamese bishops and supported by papal acknowledgments (including visits by Popes John Paul II and Francis to the La Vang shrine in Vietnam), holds deep significance for Vietnamese Catholics worldwide as a symbol of Mary's protection amid persecution.

History

The Vietnamese Catholic community in northern Virginia began forming in 1975 with the influx of refugees after the Vietnam War. Initial gatherings for prayer and Mass were held in private homes and later in facilities provided by local parishes.

The mission was formally established to serve this growing community, with Masses celebrated in Vietnamese. Over the decades, it has maintained its focus on preserving faith and culture for Vietnamese immigrants and their descendants. As of recent records, it remains a mission rather than a full territorial parish, dependent on host facilities.

The apparition of Our Lady of La Vang in 1798, during a period of persecution under the Tây Sơn dynasty, is commemorated in hagiographic and devotional tradition, though historical verification of the event is limited to oral accounts and later ecclesiastical recognition.

Special features

• Liturgies and devotions in the Vietnamese language, fostering cultural and spiritual continuity
• Annual celebration of the feast of Our Lady of La Vang, often with processions and traditional Vietnamese elements
• Service to the Vietnamese diaspora, including catechesis for youth and support for immigrant families

Relics

As a mission community without a dedicated church building, information on altar relics is unavailable. In established Catholic churches, deposited relics are customary, but this cannot be confirmed for the mission's worship sites.

Architecture

The mission does not possess a dedicated church building; liturgies are held in borrowed or shared facilities. Specific architectural details are therefore unavailable.

Art and devotional features

Devotional elements typically include statues or images of Our Lady of La Vang, portraying Mary in traditional Vietnamese áo dài with the Child Jesus, often surrounded by persecuted faithful, as per devotional iconography.

Specific details on artwork in current worship spaces are limited in publicly available sources.