Local Catholic high school students recently spent the day at the diocese’s chancery offices and the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, dedicated to learning about the many cultures represented on their campuses and throughout the diocese.
Members of the student Ethnic Diversity Council of Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School in Potomac Shores were invited to the cathedral for Diocesan Diversity Club Day Oct. 18. In a first-of-its kind event, they engaged with cultural clubs from Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria; Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington; and St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly. The diocesan Office of Multicultural Ministries hosted the gathering.
It was the John Paul the Great council’s first field trip, and we felt a sense of community even with everyone’s distinct origins. We connected with other highschoolers about how the Catholic faith has united many cultures in the diocese.
The event began with a presentation on the major Catholic communities in Northern Virginia, such as the Korean, Vietnamese, Albanian, Ethiopian and Hispanic communities. I learned that certain groups participate in Mass with their cultural attire, like the Albanian community, which is an essential part of their worship.
This emphasized the meaning of being Catholic to me, which means universal. We come from different cultures, but we unite upon our faith and our passion for spreading Christianity.
Representatives from the Office of Hispanic Ministry talked about their experiences working with the Hispanic community of the diocese, such as through podcasts, quinceañera celebrations, radio programs and charity work.
Bridget Wilson, director of diocesan multicultural ministries, addressed students with a set of questions, such as how one is involved in their community in regards to their culture and what can we do to further improve the cultural awareness in our diocese, especially among youths. Many students talked about how they founded cultural clubs, such as the Filipino Club or the Ethiopian Club. In addition to John Paul the Great´s Ethnic Diversity Council, we have various cultural clubs, such as Spanish, Black, French, and Asian culture clubs, and folkloric dance clubs, such as Marinera Club.
I also got to see how many students in our diocese take initiative to uplift their communities and try to get their student body more involved through their participation in culture days from their schools. As I heard everyone’s stories, I took a few mental notes on how our council can grow in our school community.
When Bishop Michael F. Burbidge arrived, he gave us enlightening messages of the importance of our participation in our community, which concluded the presentation aspect of the event.
Afterwards, we toured the cathedral and learned about the history of the church and the remodeling of the building. What was most unique about the renovated cathedral was the statues of saints from all over the world, such as St. Paul Chung from Korea, St. Lorenzo Ruiz from the Philippines, St. Juan Diego from Mexico and St. John Paul II from Poland.
Seeing all the saints illustrated the purpose of the event: learning about how our faith has brought us together.
A major way all of us connected was through having Mass. This was a moment where we all could have time with Our Lord and be grateful for being created differently.
Following Mass, we enjoyed different cultural meals, like lumpia, tres leches, pad thai, and different kinds of rice and desserts. Everything was superb.
Afterwards, we had the opportunity to interact with the other high school students. On this day, the council had many learning experiences that one can take away from, including talking with people from different cultures about how our faith enriches our community and how we hope we can participate in events like this in the future.
