Catholics from across the diocese and beyond filled the pews of the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington for the annual Mass for Multicultural Communities July 18.
A Marian procession of more than 50 participants representing a dozen-plus cultural communities preceded the Mass celebrated by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge and concelebrated by priests from throughout the diocese. A reception with diverse food and performances followed on the cathedral grounds.
As part of the Jubilee Year celebrations in the diocese, the theme of the Mass was “Pilgrims of Hope,” a theme reflected in the readings and music focusing on the unity of believers with each other and Christ, hope in the Lord, and reliance on God.
“For believers, followers of Christ, hope is not just optimism or positive thinking. Hope is believing in a person, Jesus the son of God, who by his own cross and Resurrection is celebrated every Mass, proved victorious over sin, darkness, suffering, evil, even death itself,” said Bishop Burbidge in his homily. “We are pilgrims of hope when we rest in the Lord, when we remain in him in prayer, in silence, in celebration of the sacraments and meditation upon his word.”
“This is great. This is the best community we have,” said Dawit Tedla, a member of the Eritrean Catholic Community and a parishioner of Holy Spirit Church in Annandale. Tedla has attended the Mass in previous years and made a point of attending again this year, as did several of her friends.
This year, the Mass returned to the cathedral for the first time since its extensive renovations. “(This event) highlights the cathedral as the mother church to all her spiritual children in the diocese no matter where they come from,” said Bridget Wilson, director of the diocesan Office of Multicultural Ministries. “Whether they were born here or not, they choose to be part of this community and the diocese, and be an active part of it. It is a really exciting thing to be part of.”
The newly renovated cathedral contains statues of saints and those on the path to sainthood from around the world, with a particular focus on representing various cultures present in the diocese. Following Mass, several members of the Vietnamese Catholic Community posed for photos with a statue of St. Ane Lê Thị Thanh, an 18th-century Vietnamese martyr. Many attendees wore clothing representing and celebrating their cultures — Ghanaian, Venezuelan, Eritrean, Korean, Guatemalan, Mexican, Tamil, Bolivian, Albanian, Vietnamese, and many others.
The readings and prayers were recited in Tagalog, Spanish, Vietnamese, French, Albanian, Ghanaian and English. Instrumentalists and singers with the diocesan multicultural choir provided the music, filling the cathedral with rich and beautiful hymns, and joined by the many voices from the pews.
“It’s such a good experience. This year was kind of like the top for me, especially the performances,” said Antoine Tovon, who is originally from Togo and a member of the Francophone Community.
Following Mass, under a tent outside the cathedral strung with bulbs and flanked by long tables, attendees enjoyed a feast from many cultures. A stage was set in the center of the tent with chairs arranged in rows and tables on the periphery, providing attendees a view of cultural performances that were the highlight of the reception. Weaving in and out of the crowd as the sun began to set and attendees settled with their plates of food, dancers began a traditional Vietnamese Lion Dance accompanied by drummers — delighting and awing the crowd with the large, brightly colored costumes. Dances and songs continued, performed by groups large and small, all proud to share something beautiful and unique from their culture.
The outdoor setting allowed this year’s celebration to spill out around the tent with performers giddily waiting their turns as they watched earlier numbers, families dancing, visiting, and enjoying the cuisine while watching the show, and space for people to talk and children to play. The vibrant joy and celebration of this community, composed of people hailing from all ends of the earth, was palpable.
“It’s awesome. It’s as James Joyce said, right, that great Irishman, how he described the Catholic Church — ‘Here comes everybody,’ ” said Terence Finneran, a local member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. “That’s a good thing, this is where you see it.”
Goss is a freelancer in Arlington.
