Catholics from more than a dozen
different cultures and traditions came together as one body in Christ at the eighth
annual Mass for Multicultural Communities at St. John Neumann Church in Reston
June 22.
The evening started with a musical
prelude before the Mass, which was performed by a 60-member multicultural choir
directed by Que-Thanh Le. This is the second year the choir, which includes
musical talent from throughout the diocese, has sung together for the Mass.
“It really brings a new elevation to the Mass in the sense of the sights and sounds, of people in their native attire, in their language, coming together to sing the parts of the Mass and bring the faithful together as one,” said Corinne Monogue, director of Multicultural Ministries.
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge was the principal celebrant of the Mass with more than 22 priests concelebrating, including Metropolitan Archbishop Menghesteab Tesfamariam of the Archeparchy of Asmara, the head of the Eritrean Catholic Church.
During his homily, Bishop Burbidge encouraged the faithful to pray, reflect and act.
“At this Mass, we pray for these special intentions for our country, that, with God’s grace, we will welcome and embrace the diversity that is ours, remember that we are one nation under God and live in union with one another freed from all division and chaos.”
After Mass everyone was invited to the multicultural fair and reception featuring informational displays and ethnic food. This year, two new communities — Albanian Catholics and Native American Catholics — were included.
Buy photos from the Mass for Multicultural Communities at catholicherald.smugmug.com.
Albania, a southeastern country on
Europe’s Balkan Peninsula, was ruled by an atheist communist regime that
suppressed Catholicism. Since the fall of communism, Albanian Catholics have
enjoyed being able to worship and practice their traditions openly. Last year,
a group of Albanian Catholics in Arlington reached out to the Office of
Multicultural Ministries hoping to gather quarterly to pray and celebrate Mass
in their own language. In celebration of their first time participating in the
Mass for Multicultural Communities, Monika Kryemadhi, a member of the Albanian
Parliament and wife of the President of Albania, Ilir Meta, brought three gifts
to the community in Arlington: a wooden reliquary containing first-class relics
of the 38 Albanian martyrs, a 200-year-old rosary, and a replica of the cross
of Zadrima. The cross of Zadrima is a traditional gift from women to their
daughters-in-law, given in secret during the time of persecution.
In the past year, the Office of
Multicultural Ministries also has encouraged increased participation from the
area’s Native American Catholics. In attendance were Teresa Sappier, a member
of the Penobscot tribe of Maine, along with Lupe Fukagawa, a member of the Apache
tribe.
The fair included three live
performances featuring a duet by the Hispanic musical group Lluvia de Fuego, a
group of young dancers from the Tamil Catholic community and Sappier.
Sappier played a drum, while singing
three songs: the medicine song, her community’s dance song and the song of the
rising sun.
“My people, the Penobscots, have been
Catholics for over 400 years,” said Sappier. “In fact, my ancestors embraced
Catholicism because the religion was so close to our way of life.”
Buy photos from the Mass at catholicherald.smugmug.com.
