About Our Lady of La Vang · Baltimore, Maryland
Our Lady of La Vang is a Roman Catholic parish in the Dundalk neighborhood of eastern Baltimore County, Maryland, serving the local Vietnamese Catholic community within the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Located at 335 Sollers Point Road, the parish celebrates Mass in Vietnamese and is pastored by Rev. Joseph Trần Chúc (Father Joseph Tran). Its mission — proclaimed in both Vietnamese and English — centers on proclaiming the Good News of Christ, nurturing the faith of the community, promoting family spirit, and imitating Christ through service to others. The parish takes its name from the famous Marian apparition site at La Vang in central Vietnam, the national shrine of Vietnamese Catholics.
- Patron
- Our Lady of La Vang (Đức Mẹ La Vang) — the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title associated with the Marian apparition at La Vang, Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph Trần Chúc (Father Joseph Tran)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Baltimore
Why belong here
Our Lady of La Vang offers Baltimore's Vietnamese Catholic faithful a home where the Mass, sacraments, and community life are celebrated in their native language and cultural traditions. The parish's stated mission is to proclaim the Gospel, nurture faith, build family spirit, and serve others in communion with the Holy Father — values lived out through its bilingual liturgy and outreach. Visitors and parishioners alike are warmly welcomed to join the parish community for Sunday Vietnamese Mass and to participate in the life of this tight-knit Vietnamese Catholic family in Dundalk.
Mass times at Our Lady of La Vang
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Half an hour before each Sunday Mass (i.e., approximately 8:30–9:00 AM and 10:30–11:00 AM on Sundays)
Parish Identity and Mission
Our Lady of La Vang is a Roman Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Baltimore that serves the Vietnamese Catholic faithful of the Baltimore region, particularly those in the Dundalk area of eastern Baltimore County. The parish publicly proclaims its mission in both Vietnamese and English: to proclaim the Good News of Christ, to nurture the faith of the community, to promote family spirit, and to imitate Christ through service to others. The community states that it carries out this mission 'in the spirit of a united community of the Church, in communion with the Holy Father,' with the cooperative participation of all the baptized.
- Proclaim the Good News of Christ (Loan truyền Tin Mừng của Chúa Ki-tô)
- Nurture the faith of the community (Nuôi dưỡng đức tin của Cộng Đoàn)
- Promote family spirit of the community (Cổ võ tinh thần gia đình của Cộng Đoàn)
- Imitate Christ by serving others (Noi gương Chúa Ki-tô qua việc phục vụ người khác)
Patron and Marian Heritage: Our Lady of La Vang
The parish takes its name from the historic apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at La Vang in central Vietnam. According to Vietnamese Catholic tradition, during the great persecution of 1798–1801 persecuted Christians took refuge in the jungle near Quảng Trị, where Mary is said to have appeared to them in the traditional Vietnamese áo dài, holding the infant Jesus. She comforted them, taught them to use the leaves of the local fern (lá vằng) as medicine, and promised to hear the prayers of all who would gather there. The first chapel was built at the apparition site in 1820; it was destroyed during later persecutions and rebuilt, with the larger church consecrated in 1928. Pope John XXIII raised the church to the rank of minor basilica on August 22, 1961, and it was destroyed again during the Vietnam War in 1972. A new basilica has been under construction since 2012.
- Apparition reported between 1798 and 1801 during persecution of Vietnamese Christians
- First chapel built at the apparition site in 1820
- Larger church consecrated in 1928 in the presence of 20,000 pilgrims
- Elevated to minor basilica by Pope John XXIII on August 22, 1961
- Original basilica destroyed during the Vietnam War in 1972
- New basilica construction began in 2012, not yet completed as of 2025
Pastoral Leadership
The parish is currently led by Rev. Joseph Trần Chúc, listed on diocesan and parish directories as Pastor / Parish Priest (Linh Mục Chánh Xứ). The Archdiocese of Baltimore's official parish directory confirms Father Joseph Tran as the parish's current pastor.
- Rev. Joseph Trần Chúc (Father Joseph Tran) — Pastor
Location and Directions
The parish is located at 335 Sollers Point Road in the Dundalk area of eastern Baltimore County, Maryland (ZIP 21222). The church sits along Sollers Point Road near the Sollers Point traffic circle, accessible from I-695 (Baltimore Beltway), I-95, and I-97.
- From the North: I-695 S → Exit 38B (MD-150/Eastern Blvd) → Exit 39 (Merritt Blvd) → left on Sollers Point Rd → church on left
- From the South: I-95 N → Exit 58 (Dundalk Ave) → traffic circle → 1st exit onto Sollers Point Rd → church on left
- From Annapolis: I-97 N → Exit 17B (I-695 E toward Dundalk) → Exit 44 (Broening Hwy) → Avon Ave → Maryland Ave → Avon Beach Rd → left on Sollers Point Rd → church on right
Contact Information
Parishioners and visitors can reach Our Lady of La Vang by phone, email, or through its official Facebook group. The parish is listed in the Archdiocese of Baltimore's online parish directory.
- Phone: (410) 282-1496
- Email: [email protected]
- Parish website: http://www.olol-baltimore.net/
- Archdiocesan listing: https://www.archbalt.org/parishes/all-parishes/our-lady-of-lavang/
- Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Lavang.Baltimore/
Within the Archdiocese of Baltimore
Our Lady of La Vang is one of more than 150 parishes of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the oldest Catholic diocese in the United States (established 1789). The parish is part of the Archdiocese's ministry to the Vietnamese Catholic faithful of the greater Baltimore region, alongside other parishes serving diverse ethnic and linguistic communities in eastern Baltimore County such as Dundalk and Edgemere.
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Baltimore
- Region: Eastern Baltimore County (Dundalk / Sollers Point area)