How a Vietnamese Catholic statue, Our Lady of La Vang, came to New Mexico
Stories dating back to 1798 detail how Vietnamese Catholics were persecuted for their faith. One Vietnamese religious statue has found a home at a sanctuary in the Southwest.
Stories dating back to 1798 detail how Vietnamese Catholics were persecuted for their faith. One Vietnamese religious statue has found a home at a sanctuary in the Southwest.
Stories dating back to 1798 detail how Vietnamese Catholics were persecuted for their faith. One Vietnamese religious statue has found a home at a sanctuary in the Southwest.
"Many of the Vietnamese Catholics in Vietnam would be persecuted for being Catholic," Christine Nguyen said.
She and her two sisters, Jasmine and Jacquelyne, are part of the Nguyen family. They sat down with sister station KOAT to explain the backstory of Our Lady of La Vang and how it's become a symbol to Vietnamese Catholics dating back to 1798. Many were imprisoned, tortured or worse.
"Being Catholic was kind of scary, because some people were killed off for it," Christine added.
Many Vietnamese Catholics would live in hiding. Through their faith, stories say they would see a woman dressed in traditional Vietnamese clothing, holding a baby in her arms. That woman became known as Our Lady of La Vang.
For the Nguyen family, faith got them through one of their worst times.
"Our grandpa had a car accident, and the car flipped three times," Jasmine said.
They feared for his health. Thankfully, he survived and is still here with the family, who prayed for him.
"We believed that Our Lady of La Vang was there to save him," Jasmine said. "But not also from this accident but, like, kept our family afloat through like businesses, health, and just staying connected as a family."
After his accident, the family decided to donate their statue of Our Lady of La Vang to El Santuario de Chimayo in New Mexico.
"We decided to donate our statue there so that people could also recognize Our Lady of La Vang and Vietnamese community and culture," Christine said.
It now serves as a symbol for others with Asian backgrounds to participate in a yearly pilgrimage to Chimayo that draws thousands of people.
Jasmine, Jacquelyne and Christine Nguyen are also first-generation Vietnamese Americans. Sharing their faith with others has taught them about this part of their lineage. The family hopes the history of this statue will motivate others to connect with their faith and also their heritage.
"It's kind of like us sharing our love and something that's so important to us, and hopefully it can have an impact on other people's lives as well," Jacquelyne said.