Maria Do Thi Mai

Maria Do Thi Mai was born on April 15, 1925 in Phu Cam, Hue, into a traditional Catholic family as the youngest of ten siblings.

At 24, she married her husband, Mr. Le Van Khuong, and together they had 8 children, 6 of whom survive her. As her husband served 25 years in the military, she faithfully followed him, carrying and raising their children through times of war and uncertainty.,

After the fall of South Vietnam in 1975, her husband - then a lieutenant colonel - was sent to a re-education camp. Their property and house were confiscated by the communists, and their children were forced to quit their jobs and schools. Relocated to a "new economic zone," Mai transformed overnight from a quiet homemaker to the head of her family. Having lost all her assets to the new government and facing discrimination from their policies, she brought her children to Dong Nai, where they sustained their livelihoods through farming. Despite facing oppression from authorities and raising seven children alone, she remained loyal to her faith and values, urging her children to do the same. In 1992, she and her family resettled in Portland, Oregon, where she rented a small townhouse near the Church so she could attend daily Mass. She shared 76 years with her husband, who passed away in February.

Now, she joins him once again--both called home by God in the Jubilee Year of 2025, united in eternal life and love that transcends even death.