Multicultural Mass celebrates cultural diversity

The altar of the Kingston-Channel Parish was draped in vibrantly coloured flags from around the globe as the community marked Refugee and Migrant Sunday with a multicultural mass last month.

The mass, held on 26 September, was a way to acknowledge and celebrate the diversity of cultures and communities that make up the parish.

Fr Mike Delaney said the mass was particularly significant in what has been a difficult year all around the world.

In his message for the 107th commemoration of the day, Pope Francis encouraged people to reject the temptation to create literal or metaphorical barriers with other people, and to instead recognise the barriers that exist due to individualism or nationalism.

 “The theme of the Pope’s message – ‘Towards an Ever Wider We’ – made sense in the light of the effects of COVID-19 and the challenge of the Pope to move away from an individualistic attitude towards care for everyone in our world,” Fr Mike said.

It was particularly moving to see the “enthusiasm that people put into the whole preparation for the mass as well as participation in the mass,” he added.

Kingston-Channel parishioners were invited to wear traditional dress, and many cultures were represented including Arabiac, Dutch, French, German, Irish/Scottish, Italian, Assyrian, Latvian, Maltese, Polish, Slovac, Spanish, Chinese, Fillipino, Indian, Korean, Sri Lankan, Vietnamese,

Colombian, Brazilian and Portuguese.

The various nationalities were also represented through the readings, prayers of intercession and music, with many different voices uniting in celebration.

The mass was followed by a cultural feast, with parishioners sharing food from their cultures with one another.

Fr Mike said he was grateful to all the people who worked hard to make the celebration a real community event.

“There is already some talk of celebrating another mass early in 2022 – this time as a Vigil Mass,” he said.