The Story Behind the New Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral in Bahrain

[Michie]

O Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Arabia and our Patroness! To you, we offer up our prayers for the needs of the Church here and throughout the world.


MANAMA, Bahrain — On Dec. 10, a joyous Catholic event will take place in Bahrain, a predominantly Muslim island nation in the Persian Gulf.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, will consecrate the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia, an ark-shaped structure seating 2,300 people.

Continued below.
The Story Behind the New Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral in Bahrain

 

[Landon Caeli]

It's amazing how many countries have had apparitions of Mary. I know at my parish, at the Christ Cathedral, we have a large Vietnamese population, and they have their own apparition, and a large newly constructed area dedicated to that.

 

[Michie]

It's amazing how many countries have had apparitions of Mary. I know at my parish, at the Christ Cathedral, we have a large Vietnamese population, and they have their own apparition, and a large newly constructed area dedicated to that.

What do they call the apparition?

 

[Landon Caeli]

What do they call the apparition?

I'll look it up. But I can tell you they had 100,000 visitors with shuttle busses when the construction was finished... It was a really big deal.

 

[Michie]

I'll look it up. But I can tell you they had 100,000 visitors with shuttle busses when the construction was finished... It was a really big deal.

Sounds exciting! Let me know when you find out.

 

[Landon Caeli]

"Fearing for their lives, persecuted Catholics fled into the La Vang rainforest in Vietnam seeking refuge from a tyrannical emperor in 1798. They gathered each night at the base of a tree to pray the Rosary while hiding in the jungle.

Then one night....."

Christ Cathedral unveiling $12.6-million shrine in honor of Vietnamese Catholic community

 

[Michie]

"Fearing for their lives, persecuted Catholics fled into the La Vang rainforest in Vietnam seeking refuge from a tyrannical emperor in 1798. They gathered each night at the base of a tree to pray the Rosary while hiding in the jungle.

Then one night....."

Christ Cathedral unveiling $12.6-million shrine in honor of Vietnamese Catholic community

Wow! Thanks for the info. I have never heard of Our Lady of La Vang before.

 

[Michie]

The tradition of Our Lady of La Vang dates back to the time when Catholics were executed in Vietnam. Many people sought refuge in the rain forest of La Vang, and many became very ill. They were praying when a lady appeared, wearing the traditional Vietnamese áo dài dress and holding a child in her arms, with two angels beside her. The people present interpreted the vision 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 the illness.

In 1961, the Catholic bishops of Vietnam selected the Church of La Vang as the National Sacred Marian Centre. In 1962, Pope John XXIIIdeclared the Church the Basilica of La Vang. Though there is no official Vatican recognition of this event as a Marian apparition, on June 19, 1988, Pope John Paul II publicly recognized the importance of Our Lady of La Vang and expressed desire to rebuild the La Vang Basilica in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the first vision.[1]But Pope John Paul II affirmed that there has been no documentation in the Vatican of Our Lady's Apparitions in La Vang.[1]

La Vang - Wikipedia


Thanks again for the info. I’ll be doing more reading on her later. I just noticed there is a Church in Las Vegas named after her when looking her up.