About Our Lady of La Vang · Raleigh, North Carolina
Our Lady of La Vang (Đức Mẹ La Vang) is a Vietnamese Catholic parish in North Raleigh, North Carolina, and the first Vietnamese Catholic parish in the Diocese of Raleigh. It belongs to the Congregation of the Mother of the Redeemer (C.R.M.) and serves a vibrant community of about 250 registered families (roughly 150 active) who gather on Leesville Road in the former Bethany Hills Baptist Church building, purchased from neighboring St. Francis of Assisi Church and dedicated on October 15, 2017. All Masses are celebrated in Vietnamese, with a Sunday Mass livestreamed on the parish website. The parish takes its name from the reported 1790s Marian apparition at La Vang in Vietnam, a central pilgrimage site for Vietnamese Catholics.
- Established
- 2015
- Patron
- Our Lady of La Vang (Đức Mẹ La Vang) — commemorating a reported 1790s Marian apparition at La Vang in central Vietnam during a persecution of Catholics
- Rector
- Reverend Ba Van Do, C.R.M.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Raleigh
Why belong here
Our Lady of La Vang is the spiritual home of Raleigh's Vietnamese Catholic community and the only Vietnamese personal parish in the Diocese of Raleigh — a place where nearly four decades of prayer, sacrifice, and lay leadership finally took root in a dedicated church on Leesville Road in 2017. Parishioners can worship entirely in Vietnamese, with six weekly Masses, Thursday confession and Eucharistic Adoration, faith formation in Giáo lý and Việt ngữ for about 100 children, the Thiếu Nhi Thánh Thể youth movement, three choirs, four lay-led sub-districts, and the annual Camp Believe retreat. It is a community that built its own pews, paid for its own building, and continues to honor the Vietnamese martyrs whose relics rest in its altar.
Mass times at Our Lady of La Vang
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM (or by appointment)
Adoration times
- Thursday 8:00 PM – 8:30 PM
History & Heritage of Our Lady of La Vang
The community that became Our Lady of La Vang began quietly in the late 1970s when a few Vietnamese refugee families in the Raleigh area gathered to pray with the help of the United States Catholic Conference. It was formally organized in 1984 as the Vietnamese Catholic Community of Raleigh, celebrated its first community Mass at St. Patrick Church in Fayetteville, and over the next three decades worshipped in borrowed spaces — Sacred Heart Cathedral, Our Lady of Lourdes, and finally St. Joseph — under visiting and then resident priests. Canonically erected as a personal parish on March 13, 2015 by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, the parish purchased the adjacent former Bethany Hills Baptist Church building from St. Francis of Assisi the same year, renovated it largely by volunteer labor, and dedicated it on October 15, 2017 before nearly 900 people.
- Late 1970s: First Vietnamese families begin praying together with USCC support
- 1984: Vietnamese Catholic Community of Raleigh formally organized
- November 19, 1994: Fr. Jacob Nguyễn Ngọc Thanh ordained by Bishop Joseph Gossman
- March 14, 2010: Fr. Raymond Nguyễn Mạnh Thư, C.M.C., named first full-time administrator
- December 9, 2013: Bishop Burbidge permits the community to rename itself Cộng Đoàn Đức Mẹ La Vang
- March 13, 2015: Canonically erected as a personal parish
- June 22, 2015: Building purchased for $2.4 million
- October 15, 2017: Church dedicated by Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama
The 2017 Dedication & the Relics of the Vietnamese Martyrs
The dedication Mass on October 15, 2017 was a landmark moment for the Diocese of Raleigh. Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama celebrated his first dedication as principal celebrant in the diocese, with close to 900 people in attendance. The Mass was in English, but all responses and hymns were in Vietnamese; the Liturgy of the Word wove Vietnamese, English, and bilingual readings together. Most strikingly, relics of five saints who had been persecuted and killed for the faith in Vietnam were sealed in the new altar. One of them was St. Martino Tho Van Tran, the great-grandfather of parishioner Thu Bui — a man who had hidden three pastors in the walls of his home during the persecutions and refused to renounce his faith even under torture and imprisonment. Bui moved to the United States from Vietnam in 1992 and grew up hearing his story.
- Relics of five Vietnamese martyrs sealed in the altar
- St. Martino Tho Van Tran's relic connects to parishioner Thu Bui
- Liturgy combined English Mass text with Vietnamese responses and hymns
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
Our Lady of La Vang is served today by Father Ba Van Do, C.R.M., a member of the Congregation of the Mother of the Redeemer, who was appointed pastor effective September 26, 2025 by Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama. He was preceded as pastor by Fr. Martinô Trần Văn Bản, C.R.M., and before that the parish was shaped by a succession of C.M.C. and C.R.M. priests including Fr. Nguyễn Văn Thông, Fr. Raymond Nguyễn Mạnh Thư, and Fr. Charles Phạm Đức Sinh. Deacon Anthony Hoang Nguyen assists in liturgical and pastoral ministry.
- Fr. Ba Van Do, C.R.M. — current pastor (effective September 26, 2025)
- Deacon Anthony Hoang Nguyen
- Fr. Martinô Trần Văn Bản, C.R.M. — pastor 2015–2025
- Fr. Charles Phạm Đức Sinh, C.R.M. — installed August 23, 2015 as first pastor
- Fr. Raymond Nguyễn Mạnh Thư, C.M.C. — first full-time administrator 2010–2012
- Fr. Gioan Baotixita Nguyễn Văn Thông — retired 2009
Parish Ministries & Organizations
Our Lady of La Vang runs a wide array of Vietnamese-language ministries and lay organizations. Faith formation of children is led by the Ban Giáo Dục, with more than 20 teachers instructing around 100 students in Giáo lý (catechism) and Việt ngữ (Vietnamese language). Youth ministry centers on the Đoàn Thiếu Nhi Thánh Thể (Eucharistic Youth Movement), formally established April 19, 2015 with 99 đoàn sinh, and the annual Camp Believe retreat. Music is served by three choirs — Ca Đoàn Cecilia, Ca Đoàn Ave Maria (founded October 18, 2015 for the 9 AM Sunday Mass), and Ca Đoàn Thiếu Nhi Têrêsa. Pastoral and financial councils, plus the four geographic giáo khu (La Vang, Fatima, Vô Nhiễm, Lộ Đức) and the Knights of Columbus, round out parish life.
- Đoàn Thiếu Nhi Thánh Thể (Eucharistic Youth) — founded April 19, 2015
- Ban Giáo Dục (Catechism & Vietnamese language)
- Ca Đoàn Cecilia, Ca Đoàn Ave Maria, Ca Đoàn Thiếu Nhi Têrêsa
- Đoàn Liên Minh Thánh Tâm (Sacred Heart League)
- Four giáo khu: La Vang, Fatima, Vô Nhiễm, Lộ Đức
- Hội Đồng Mục Vụ and Hội Đồng Tài Chánh
- Knights of Columbus parish council
- Camp Believe annual retreat
Sacraments
Couples preparing for marriage (Hôn Phối) are asked to contact the pastor at least six months in advance. The Anointing of the Sick (Xức Dầu) and Viaticum (Chịu Mình Thánh) are arranged by contacting the pastor directly. Canonical preparation for marriage follows Canon 851/2.
- Marriage: contact the pastor at least 6 months ahead
- Anointing of the Sick: contact the pastor
- Viaticum: contact the pastor
- Canonical preparation per Canon 851/2
Building the Church: The Leesville Road Renovation
When Our Lady of La Vang took possession of the former Bethany Hills Baptist Church in 2015, the building was functional but far from the sanctuary the community envisioned. Led by Binh Nguyen — pastoral council co-chair and project manager for the renovation — and advised by Father Charles Pham, parishioners poured their own labor into the project over many months. Services began immediately in the fellowship hall while renovations proceeded in the sanctuary. A signature creative touch: parishioners located pews for sale from a church closing in New Jersey, then transported, cleaned, and installed them by hand — a six-month effort of evening volunteers that kept the project within budget without sacrificing quality.
- Building purchased June 22, 2015 for $2.4 million
- Services first held in the fellowship hall
- Pews salvaged from a closing church in New Jersey
- Volunteer labor over ~6 months
Community & Pastoral Councils
Since the formal parish structure was instituted in 2011, two councils under diocesan statutes have guided parish life: the Hội Đồng Mục Vụ (Pastoral Council) and the Hội Đồng Tài Chánh (Finance Council). Recent leadership includes Nguyễn Hữu Dzũng, Cao Đức Tiến, Nguyễn Thanh Bình, and Nguyễn Thị Bạch Yến on the pastoral council, with Đinh Đan Thanh, Nguyễn Phạm Lan Ashley, and Nguyễn Minh Thảo on the finance council. Lay councils have been central to the parish's growth from a few families to about 250 registered households.
- Hội Đồng Mục Vụ (Pastoral Council)
- Hội Đồng Tài Chánh (Finance Council)
- Ban Tạo Mãi (Capital Campaign Committee) led by Nguyễn Thái Sơn
Visit & Contact
Our Lady of La Vang Parish is located at 11701 Leesville Road, Raleigh, NC 27613, in North Raleigh adjacent to St. Francis of Assisi Church — an easy drive for families across the Triangle. The parish office can be reached at 919-307-4023, and the official website is ducmelavangraleigh.org, where the Sunday 10:45 AM Mass is livestreamed each week.
- Address: 11701 Leesville Rd., Raleigh, NC 27613
- Phone: 919-307-4023
- Website: ducmelavangraleigh.org
- Livestream: Sunday 10:45 AM Mass on parish website
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Gioan Baotixita Nguyễn Văn Thôngserved through 2009
Retired in 2009.
- Fr. Raymond Nguyễn Mạnh Thư, C.M.C.2009 – 2012
First full-time administrator; appointed March 14, 2010. Founded Đoàn Liên Minh Thánh Tâm, Ca Đoàn Thiếu Nhi Têrêsa; organized community into four giáo khu.
- Fr. Martinô Trần Văn Bản, C.M.C. (Martin M. Tran Van Ban, C.R.M.)2012 – 2015
Led the community as it grew rapidly; launched the capital campaign and signed the June 2015 purchase of the former Bethany Hills Baptist Church. Subsequently assigned to Boston; returned later as pastor of the established parish, before being reassigned in summer 2025.
- Fr. Carôlô Charles Phạm Đức Sinh, C.R.M.June 2015 – ?
Installed as first pastor by Bishop Burbidge on August 23, 2015; oversaw the renovation and October 15, 2017 dedication.
- Fr. Martinô Trần Văn Bản, C.R.M.later pastor through 2025
Returned as pastor of the established parish; reassigned in summer 2025.
- Fr. Ba Van Do, C.R.M.effective September 26, 2025 – present
Member of the Congregation of the Mother of the Redeemer; appointed by Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama.