a Pilgrimage Chaplain
November 5, 2024
Vietnam
Our Lady of La Vang refers to a reported Marian apparition at a time when Catholics were persecuted and killed in Vietnam. According to legend, Catholics sought refuge in the rainforests of Quang Tri Province, during which time many became very ill. While hiding in the jungle, the community gathered every night at the foot of a tree to pray the rosary. One night in 1798, on the grass near the banyan tree where the community was praying, a lady appeared, wearing the traditional Vietnamese dress and holding a child in her arms, with two angels beside her. The vision was interpreted as the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus Christ. They said that Our Lady comforted them and told them to boil leaves from the trees for medicine to cure their ills.
Here, Our Lady also promised: “Mother has accepted your request. From now on, whoever comes to invoke her in this place will receive the blessing of his or her will. ” Legend states that the term “La Vang” was a derivative of the Vietnamese word meaning “crying out.” In 1802, the Catholics returned to their villages, passing on the story of the apparition in La Vang and its message. As the story of the apparition spread, many came to pray at this site. In 1820, a chapel was built. Since then, the chapel has been destroyed and rebuilt numerous times. In 1998, Pope John Paul II publicly recognized the importance of Our Lady of La Vang and expressed a desire to rebuild the La Vang Basilica in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the first vision. In 2012, the New Basilica was officially built with the endorsement of the Vietnamese government.
Embark on a 10-day pilgrimage to Northern Vietnam that includes a visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of La Vang with a Pilgrimage Chaplain, on November 5-14, 2024.
Begin your pilgrimage with a visit to the awe-inspiring Shrine of Our Lady of La Vang. Offer prayers and lift up your petitions to Our Lady at this miraculous apparition site. Head for the ancient city of Hue, the seat of the final Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnamese Emperors. This former imperial city was the intellectual and cultural heart of Vietnam until the early twentieth century. Visit the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a beautiful and impressive building. The most interesting feature of the church is how the architectural style is a true blend of east and west. It is regarded as one of the most beautiful churches in Hue City.
Next, visit the Phu Cam Church (Immaculate Heart of Mary Cathedral), one of the most famous and oldest churches in the city, admired for its ancient architecture. Continue with your historical visits to the Royal Tomb of Tu Duc King, the Royal Tomb of Khai Dinh King, the Forbidden Purple City, and the Thien Mu Pagoda, also known as the Pagoda of Heavenly Lady, located on a sloping pine hill with the front side facing the Perfume River. See the major sights of Da Nang, which include a visit to the Da Nang Cathedral, also called the Pink Church, known for its impressive pink color and Gothic architecture.
Head for the Quang Nam province to visit the Shrine of the Lady of Tra Kieu, a famous Marian apparition site dedicated to Our Lady Help of Christians in remembrance of the Blessed Mother’s help in Catholic resistance to the Can Vuong movement. Proceed to Hoi An, an old town, to explore the ancient city’s major sights. Take a local flight from Da Nang for your two-night stay in Hanoi, literally a “city between the rivers.” Vietnam’s capital city is layered with French and Chinese influence and offers well-preserved French colonial architecture, religious sites, and several historical landmarks of Vietnamese imperial periods. Visit the Pilgrimage Center of Bang So in the Thuong Tin district of Hanoi City, built in honor of Martyr Fr. Peter Le Tuy, who bravely bore witness to God by willingly sacrificing himself and shedding his blood to show his loyalty to the faith and the Church.
Explore Phung Khoang Church (Our Lady of the Rosary Church), built in 1910 and situated in the western part of Hanoi. Stop by the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. This commanding construction was built from 1973 to 1975 to house the embalmed body of Vietnam’s greatest political leader, Ho Chi Minh. A short distance away is Cua Bac Church, one of the most ancient churches in Hanoi and originally known as the “Cathedral of the Queen of the Martyrs.” Not to be missed is Saint Joseph’s Cathedral, also known as Hanoi Cathedral, whose architect was inspired by the Neo-Gothic style of the Notre Dame de Paris.
Travel down south for your two-night stay in Ninh Binh, which includes a full-day visit to the different beautiful and ancient Catholic churches of Nam Dinh. Not to be missed is a visit to the Bui Chu Cathedral, with the full name of Cathedral of Mary, Queen of the Rosary, built in 1885 by French colonists. It is considered the cradle of Catholicism in Vietnam. The diocese is reportedly Vietnam’s first place where Catholicism was introduced by foreign missionaries in 1533. Wind down your pilgrimage with a relaxing overnight Halong Bay cruise. Bask in the serenity of limestone sculptures hewn by nature. This UNESCO World Heritage Site has roughly 2,000 islands and islets with beautiful grottos, hidden ponds, mangrove forests, and unusual stone formations.
Embark on a 10-day pilgrimage to Northern Vietnam with Our Lady of La Vang with a Pilgrimage Chaplain, on November 5-14, 2024. And enjoy the fullness of peace that can only be found in the loving presence of God.
When in Hue, don’t miss the chance to try “salt coffee.” This delicious drink can be found in cafes all over the city and is a famous taste of Hue.
Pray for your loved ones before the image of Our Lady of La Vang on your visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of La Vang.
The Phat Diem Stone Cathedral is renowned for its unique architectural style of a stone cathedral built like a Buddhist pagoda.
Visit the Phuc Nhac Parish, known as the Martyr’s Shrine Center, which displays the relic of St. Agnes Le Thi Thanh, one of the first female Vietnamese martyrs, and houses the remains of other Vietnamese saints and martyrs.
The province of Nam Dinh boasts a plethora of beautiful basilicas and ancient Catholic churches.
Spiritually-focused journeys
Insightful pilgrimage chaplains
Quality accommodations
Expertly-crafted itineraries
Friendly and bonded groups
Senior citizen friendly
The whole pilgrimage is a new and fulfilling moment in my life. It’s a nice feeling being with the Lord in His important day. And also, gaining new friends and becoming my new extended family is something I will treasure. I hope that this is just the beginning and we’ll continue to get in touch with one another despite the distance.
Brenda
Hello Co-Pilgrims,
It was indeed a wonderful Pilgrimage: very rich in history, a thanksgiving of blessings, a spiritual renewal and nourishment, and finally ending in a test of Faith.
Thank you so much Pilgrim Leader, Ging Igual, for standing beside us up to the last stretch of our 13-day journey - more particularly in the handling of an unexpected situation (cancelled flight in Mexico and re-direction of flights to make sure the 38 Pilgrims reach LA for their respective flight bookings). Ging, you were an angel to us so blessed with energy, passion, love and Milagrosa. We really felt the presence of Our Lady of Guadalupe fielding angels every step of the way.
The Pilgrimage to California Mission Churches and Our Lady of Guadalupe gives me personal inspiration for the work and activities of the next chapter of my lifetime: farming with promotion of agriculture for millennials (inspired by the scenic view of farms in California), tourism (which is a major industry in all places we visited), and support for a favourite major seminary in Tagaytay and a scholarship fund for deserving individuals (thru a non stock non profit institution).
Thank you to my Co-Pilgrims and prayer partners for the prayer support, sharing of life experiences and friendships; Fr. Tony, thank you for your spiritual reflections and service; Fr. Jerry Orbos for an overflowing spiritual reflections and enabling us to have the needed personal encounter with Jesus and Mama Mary (it was like a 12-day Holy Retreat); and the Executive Resources for making a very nice pilgrimage package a part of our lifetime.
Ms. Emma
Lord, we cannot find words enough to say how grateful we are to You. Our pilgrimage made us realize that Your love for us is more than what we deserve.
To all our co-pilgrims, thank you for making us feel we belong to this new family. To Fr. Dante, thanks for your prayers and pieces of advice for our spiritual nourishment. To Sis Lea, for taking care of each one of us. To Sis Joy, thanks for the contagious joys and laughters.
To our prayer partners, Sis Maribel, Melvy and Didick and Bro Mon and Sis Jot, thank you for your prayers. We will pray for you, too!
To The Pilgrim’s Center - Executive Resources, thank you for accommodating us in this Eastern Europe Pilgrimage.
God bless us all always!
Albert and Adee
Dear Pilgrims' Center:
My husband Aldo & I would like to praise & commend our Pilgrim Chaplain Fr. Dante Venus & our Tour Leader Bro. Monty for the very successful & memorable pilgrimage to Italy & the Holy Land we were very fortunate to join on March 26-April 8, 2018.
It was very hectic to be sure, but still they managed our time very well that we were able to visit more places than was promised in the itinerary, and we are very appreciative of that. Likewise, the solemnity of the whole pilgrimage experience was still observed despite many of us in the group, myself included, often forgetting that we were pilgrims & not tourists 😉😉, taking photos, selfies, etc. instead of, or before focusing on what the local guide was explaining or on the scripture readings. I cannot fault us pilgrims on this because for many of us seniors, and I speak for my husband & I, that trip might be our first & last time to visit those places, so we made sure they were properly documented. Nonetheless, it was a truly spiritually uplifting & life-changing experience for us. We continue to thank our Lord for making that experience of a lifetime possible. Indeed, nothing is impossible for God! Thank you very much to Fr. Dante, Bro. Monty & to each of us pilgrims in the group for the prayers, love, care & concern shown to each other. Let us continue to pray for and with each other. It is my hope that we meet each other again soon, to strengthen our bonds of friendships.
Most sincerely, Leclec Cabusora
Leclec Cabusora
My husband and I just came back from a wonderful trip to Israel - with Franciscan Fr Reu Galoy. Thank you Pilgrim Center for the arrangements. We are so happy and satisfied with all that you have done for us. Kudos to Yanyan and Monty from Pilgrim Center, and Fr Reu and Ronin for your caring services. It was a spiritual journey and we felt the abiding presence of the Lord all throughout.
Ann Arguelles Cortes
Our pilgrimage was worth all the hardships (I was having leg pains). We had an excellent leader in the person of Adrian, two priests Fathers Val and Ron, who gave us very nice pieces of advice and homilies, and of course the members of the group who were all very nice. Looking forward to join another pilgrimage.
Emily Bautista
It was the most profound experience I had in my whole life....Walking with the Footsteps where Jesus walked made my life more grateful and humble....My faith become stronger as I express it...A growing faith is a sharing faith....TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!! SHALOM!
Carmen Nierra
Vir & I would like to express our gratitude for a wonderful pilgrimage we had from Sept 5-18. From checking-in last Sept 5 & all during the tour, we felt the care from a family. No words can ever describe how thankful we are.
I almost cried last Sept 8, (my birthday) when we (2 of us have the same birthday) were given a surprise mini celebration when after our dinner, we were given a cake. I really felt the love of a family then.
All these things made possible because of your capable coordinator Ms. Ging Igual. She's such a wonderful leader. Kudos to her.
Rest assured that i will refer your company to all my friends who are planning to go on pilgrimage .
Good day & may God always guide & protect all of you in the Pilgrims' Center/ Executive Resources, Inc.
Cora and Vir Franca
I am honored to be included in this pilgrimage. The Pilgrims' Center has very good itineraries worth remembering. No hours wasted. They took very good care of us in spite of our big number of 47 people. The daily mass and homilies of Fr. Manny Cruz held in different shrines and churches were very inspirational and transforming. Accommodations were nice most especially the one on top of the Mountain with an awesome view built in 1909. It's like travelling back in time. I definitely would want to do it again with Pilgrim Center.
Peter Joseph Mapua
The Pilgrims' Center always gives you the best. They let you feel like an Executive in terms of personal service & attention especially during pilgrimage. Their choices of pilgrimages and pilgrim chaplains are outstanding. You go back home very fulfilled and immersed...
Marlene Silvestre
1) A US$ 500.00 deposit is required upon reservations together with a photocopy of a passport (valid for 6 months from date of departure) and Pilgrim’s Profile plus the visa fee.
2) Full payment in U.S. dollars is required before ticketing but in no case shall it be later than thirty (30) days before departure date.
3) The following cancellation charges will apply:
> 60 days before departure date – US$ 500.00
> 45 days before departure date – 50% of the Tour Cost
> 30 days prior to departure date – Full tour cost will be forfeited.
> US$ 300.00 Admin Fee for any visa denial.
BASIC TOUR COST DOES NOT INCLUDE: Philippine Travel Tax PHP 1,620.00, airport taxes, visa fees and documentation expenses, insurance, hospitalization and other medical expenses, tours and transportation during free periods, porterage of extra pieces of luggage in excess of maximum allocation, drinks, and beverages taken during meals, items of personal nature such as laundry, telephone, fax, room service, and other expenses not mentioned in the itinerary terms and conditions.
EXECUTIVE RESOURCES, INC. has arranged for the various tour services to be performed under the responsibility of various contractors. Executive Resources, Inc., its employees or its subagents therefore only act as agents for the contractors providing the various services described in the tour and accept no responsibility or liability in connection with losses or accidental expenses due to delays of schedule, overbooking, defaults or “force majeure.” All tours and arrangements are subject to the general conditions specified by each contractor. Tour itineraries and prices are subject to change without prior notice. When making a tour booking, the passenger acknowledges and accepts the foregoing conditions.
*** SCHEDULE AND RATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE! ***
