The second annual diocesan Mass for the Vigil of the Solemnity of Pentecost, organized by the Office of Multicultural Ministry, united more than 20 ethnic communities in the diocese. Upward of 60 individuals were baptized and Confirmed.
The Vigil Mass was celebrated Saturday, May 23 at Columbus St. Catharine of Siena Church by Bishop Earl Fernandes. The Mass, held last year at Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral, was celebrated at St. Catharine of Siena for increased space.
Approximately 20 priests concelebrated.
“This special diocesan-wide liturgy will bring together Catholic ethnic communities from many different races, cultures, languages and national backgrounds to celebrate as one family of God,” said Father Tesfaye Petros Botachew, director of the Office of Multicultural Ministry.
“This celebration reflects the true universality of the Catholic Church – many cultures, many languages but one Spirit and Church in Christ. It is a powerful witness that, despite our differences, we are united in the same faith, the same Eucharist and the same mission of the Gospel.”
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The Mass gathered ethnic communities across the 23-county diocese.
Faithful represented various nationalities: Korean; Filipino; Vietnamese; Indian Tamil; Haitian; Brazilian; African-American; East African communities including Kenyan, Tanzanian and Congolese; West African communities including Nigerian, Ghanaian and Cameroonian and French-speaking African communities including Togolese, Rwandan and from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Several faithful belonging to Eastern Catholic Churches also participated. Individuals represented the Eritrean Catholic Church, Maronite Rite from Lebanon, Melkite Rite from Syria and Jordan, Syro-Malabar Rite from India and Byzantine Rite from Slovakia, Croatia, Hungary and various European countries.
The Vigil Mass, celebrated in the Extended Form, included four readings from the Old Testament and two from the New Testament.
The Vigil of Pentecost can be celebrated in the Extended Form, similar to an Easter Vigil Mass with additional readings, or in the Simple Form, comparable to a Saturday evening Mass celebrated in anticipation of Sunday.
The Mass included 19 languages representing ethnic groups in the diocese. The unique languages were spoken in prayers, readings, sacred music and various cultural expressions.
The variety of languages was important in “highlighting the richness and beauty of the Church’s diversity,” Father Petros said.
He added that having clergy of various ethnic backgrounds demonstrated unity. The celebration highlighted the universality of Catholicism, a Church present in nations and cultures worldwide.
“This remains the mission of the Church: to bring unity in a polarized world,” Bishop Fernandes said in his homily. “This year the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary. This country, which historically has been known as a ‘melting pot,’ is increasingly becoming divided.”
The bishop reflected on each of the Mass readings, including from the prophets Ezekiel and Joel, who offered hope.
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He acknowledged discouragement can be a common response to rejection, illness and secularization. Feelings of overwhelm can occur, but, Bishop Fernandes encouraged, the Holy Spirit comes to aid in human weakness.
“Christ, our risen Lord, is our hope,” the bishop affirmed. “He promised to send the Holy Spirit, Who had been prophesied by Joel, and this Spirit was poured out upon the Church at Pentecost.
“Pentecost was a privileged time, but the Church today needs a new Pentecost, a new outpouring of the Spirit,” he continued. “The Church must call upon the Spirit to renew her for her mission of bringing salvation to the world.”
During the Mass, more than 60 individuals received the sacraments of initiation: baptism, Holy Communion and Confirmation.
Eight catechumens, or unbaptized individuals, were set to receive the three sacraments. They represented St. Catharine of Siena, Sunbury St. John Neumann, St. John Paul II Scioto Catholic Parish, Mount Vernon-Danville St. John the Baptist Parish and Westerville St. Paul the Apostle.
An additional 13 candidates, or individuals baptized but not Catholic, prepared to enter full communion with the Church through Confirmation and the Eucharist. The individuals hailed from St. Catharine of Siena, St. John Neumann, St. John Paul II Scioto Catholic, St. John the Baptist Parish (Mount Vernon St. Vincent de Paul Church) and Columbus St. Patrick.
Six baptized Catholics from Columbus Christ the King, St. John Neumann, St. John the Baptist Parish (Mount Vernon St. Vincent de Paul Church), St. Patrick and St. Paul the Apostle were set to complete their sacraments by receiving First Holy Communion and Confirmation.
Another 35 individuals belonging to the Ghanaian, Nigerian and St. Andrew Kim Taegon Korean Catholic communities and St. John Neumann, St. Catharine of Siena, Christ the King and Columbus St. Mary Magdalene parishes were to be Confirmed.
Pentecost marks 50 days since Christ’s resurrection. The solemnity, referred to as the birthday of the Church, celebrates the sending of the Holy Spirit.
Pentecost recounts the Spirit’s outpouring on the Apostles and Blessed Mother, who gathered in the Upper Room in Jerusalem after Christ ascended into heaven.