About Our Lady of La Vang [Vietnamese] · Las Vegas, Nevada
Our Lady of La Vang (Gx Đức Mẹ La Vang) is a Vietnamese-language Roman Catholic parish and shrine in Las Vegas, Nevada, located in the Archdiocese of Las Vegas. Founded around 2001 by Father Joseph Trong Nguyen to serve the growing Vietnamese Catholic community, it was dedicated as a shrine on 18 October 2003 by Bishop Joseph A. Pepe and remains the only parish in Las Vegas celebrating Mass primarily in Vietnamese. Today it ministers to roughly 800 active members — first, second and third-generation Vietnamese Catholics, plus a small number of English-speaking spouses — and welcomes thousands of pilgrims each summer for its annual La Vang Đại Hội (Freedom Pilgrimage). The parish is run by Redemptorist (CSsR / DCCT) priests and offers daily Mass in Vietnamese, Eucharistic Adoration, a Vietnamese language school and religion classes for children, marriage and family programs, outreach to the homeless and to poor communities in Vietnam and Cambodia, and an annual fall festival and Lunar New Year celebration.
- Established
- 2001
- Patron
- Our Lady of La Vang (Đức Mẹ La Vang)
- Rector
- Rev. (Peter) Phêrô Bùi Quang Tuấn, CSsR (DCCT — Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Las Vegas
Why belong here
Our Lady of La Vang is the spiritual home of the Vietnamese Catholic community in Las Vegas, where every Mass is celebrated in Vietnamese so that first-, second- and third-generation Vietnamese faithful can worship in their mother tongue. Beyond Sunday and weekday Masses, members gather for Eucharistic Adoration, the Sacrament of Reconciliation three times a week, monthly Masses for marriage and family and for Catholic mothers, a Vietnamese-language and religion school for children aged 7–16, marriage encounter retreats (Khóa Ephata), a youth group (Đoàn Thiếu Nhi Thánh Thể Tôma Thiện), a parish choir, and outreach to the homeless of downtown Las Vegas and to the poor in Vietnam and Cambodia. The annual summer Đại Hội / Freedom Mass Pilgrimage and the fall festival and Lunar New Year celebration draw thousands, making it a vibrant gathering place for Vietnamese Catholics across the region.
Mass times at Our Lady of La Vang [Vietnamese]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 9:30 AM (in the new multi-purpose building on the right)
- Thursday 6:30 PM (in the small chapel, before the 7:00 PM Mass / Adoration)
- Saturday 8:00 AM (in the small chapel, before the 8:30 AM Mass)
Adoration times
- Thursday 6:30 PM — Eucharistic Adoration preceding the 7:00 PM Vietnamese Mass
Welcome to Our Lady of La Vang
Our Lady of La Vang (Gx Đức Mẹ La Vang) is the Vietnamese-language Roman Catholic parish and Shrine serving Las Vegas and southern Nevada. The parish greets visitors with the words 'Đến Với Mẹ: Bạn Không Lạc Bước — Về Bên Mẹ: Bạn Sẽ Bình An' ('Coming to Mother, you will not lose your way; staying near Mother, you will be at peace'). All Sunday and weekday Masses are celebrated in Vietnamese, drawing a multigenerational congregation of first-, second- and third-generation Vietnamese Catholics plus a small number of English-speaking spouses and supporters. The Shrine is part of the Archdiocese of Las Vegas.
Our Story: The Shrine and Its Founding
Around 2001, Father Joseph Trong Nguyen founded the Vietnamese Catholic community in Las Vegas because, as he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, 'there was a dire need for a Vietnamese Catholic church in the community.' Bishop Joseph A. Pepe granted the community a two-acre parcel — formerly belonging to a contemplative religious order — and laid the cornerstone on 14 October 2001. After roughly two years of fund-raising and construction, the Shrine was dedicated on 18 October 2003 in the presence of three bishops and a large gathering of Vietnamese-American clergy. Over the years membership grew from about 70 founding members to roughly 800 active parishioners, and the Shrine now serves as a spiritual hub for Vietnamese Catholics throughout the region.
The Shrine of Our Lady of La Vang (Vietnam)
The parish takes its name from the 1798 apparition in Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam, where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Catholics persecuted under Emperor Cảnh Thịnh, telling them to boil the leaves of the La Vang trees as medicine. The original Vietnamese shrine is now a basilica and national pilgrimage site; the Las Vegas parish is its mirror in the United States and serves as the Vietnamese Catholic Center for Las Vegas.
- Apparition: 17 August 1798 at La Vang, Vietnam
- In 1901 Bishop Gasper blessed the statue of La Vang and named Our Lady of La Vang patroness of the faithful in Vietnam
- Feast day: 15 August (also 27 August in the Archdiocese of Huế)
- Status: the apparition is not officially recognized by the Holy See, but devotion is widely approved
Our Priests, Deacon and Pastoral Team
Our Lady of La Vang is served by Redemptorist (Dòng Chúa Cứu Thế / CSsR) priests. The pastoral team is led by the pastor, supported by a parochial vicar, a permanent deacon, a sister from the MTG (Gò Vấp) congregation, a Parish Pastoral Council representative and parish office staff.
- Pastor: Rev. (Peter) Phêrô Bùi Quang Tuấn, CSsR — DCCT
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Gioan Vũ Thanh Sang, CSsR
- Deacon: Vincente Vũ Viết Toan
- Pastoral Associate: Sr. Agnes Huỳnh Thị Bích Ngọc (Dòng MTG – Gò Vấp)
- Pastoral Council Representative: Ông Phêrô Nguyễn Văn Dũng
- Parish Office: Cô Mát-ta Lê Kim Ngân
Parish Ministries and Apostolates
The parish runs a wide range of ministries in Vietnamese for all ages: a parish choir, catechist team, marriage and family programs, Legion of Mary, youth group, hospitality, and a Vietnamese language and religion school for children aged 7–16 every Sunday. The parish also reaches outward through an active homeless ministry and through donations to poor communities in Vietnam and Cambodia.
- Ca Đoàn Đức Mẹ La Vang — choir
- Giáo Lý Viên — catechists
- Marriage Encounter (Khóa Ephata)
- Liên Đảo Têrêsa — Legion of Mary
- Đoàn Thiếu Nhi Thánh Thể Tôma Thiện — youth group
- Quán La Vang — parish hospitality
- Vietnamese language & religion classes (Sundays 11 AM–2 PM and 2–4 PM)
Outreach and Charity
Beyond the Sanctuary, the parish is deeply committed to charity. Parishioners feed the homeless every Monday night on G Street and McWilliams Avenue in partnership with St. Benedict's Homeless Ministry, bringing homemade fried rice and sandwiches. The parish also collects money for poor Vietnamese families in Cambodia and Vietnam, and has supported disaster-relief collections for these communities. Tết (Lunar New Year) gatherings, the annual Fall Festival and the summer Đại Hội all double as fund-raisers for these outreach efforts.
- Monday-night homeless outreach in central Las Vegas
- Collections for the poor in Cambodia and Vietnam
- Annual Fall Festival (mid-October)
- Annual Tết / Lunar New Year Festival with dragon dance and cultural performances
- Mẹ La Vang youth group ran car-washes and food sales in support of Shrine construction during the founding years
The Annual Đại Hội La Vang / Freedom Mass Pilgrimage
Each year, traditionally held over the Independence Day weekend, Our Lady of La Vang hosts its Đại Hội Đức Mẹ La Vang — a three-day Marian pilgrimage and Freedom Mass Celebration commemorating the religious freedom enjoyed by Vietnamese Catholic refugees in the United States. Hundreds (and on peak years several thousand) of faithful travel from across the nation to attend.
- Friday — honoring the 117 Vietnamese Martyrs, opening Mass
- Saturday — honoring Our Lady of La Vang, seminars, Marian dance
- Sunday — Great Mass, Rosary procession around the grounds, Mass usually presided by a Catholic bishop
- Recent theme: 'Mother Mary was a Refugee' (Matthew 2:13)
Visiting and Contacting the Parish
The Shrine is located at 4835 S. Pearl Street in Las Vegas, NV 89121. Parish office hours and Sacramental preparation are coordinated through the parish office; sacramental forms (Các Mẫu Đơn) are published on the website. Bulletins, news items, and Đại Hội materials are regularly posted on lavanglasvegas.com.
- Address: 4835 S. Pearl St, Las Vegas, NV 89121
- Office phone: (702) 821-1459 (alternate: 702-729-2350)
- Parish website: lavanglasvegas.com
- Main language: Vietnamese
- Weekly bulletins and Đại Hội materials available on the website
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph Nguyễn Đức Trọngc. 2001 – c. 2006
Founder of the Las Vegas Vietnamese Catholic community; led construction of the Shrine; laid cornerstone 14 Oct 2001; dedication 18 Oct 2003.
- Rev. Joseph Nguyễn Văn Khấn
Successor pastor listed in the 10th-anniversary Kỷ Yếu collaborators.
- Rev. Peter Chu Quang Minh
Pastor referenced in the 10th-anniversary Kỷ Yếu ('Chào Đón Cha Quang').
- Rev. Vincent Nguyễn Quang Thế
Pastor referenced in the 10th-anniversary Kỷ Yếu.
- Rev. Quang Minh Dong
Pastor named in Las Vegas Review-Journal feature; presided over Vietnamese homilies and helped build membership from ~70 to ~800.
- Rev. (Peter) Phêrô Bùi Quang Tuấn, CSsRpresent
Current pastor; Redemptorist (Dòng Chúa Cứu Thế) of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.