MORE than 500 people adorned in the vibrant colours of their national dress united for worship at the annual Multicultural Mass at St Stephen’s Cathedral last Sunday.
Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge, who celebrated the Mass with many cultural community chaplains concelebrating, said this was a “Pentecost moment”.
“And a Pentecost moment is always a beautiful thing because Pentecost is always the undoing of Babel,” he said.
“Babel, which was the babble of many languages that led to a confusion – a division – among peoples; the Tower of Babel that sought to reach to Heaven and only plummeted down to Hell – the Hell of division and confusion.
“Pentecost undoes all of that and in a world such as the world that we know that is an absolutely vital service that we as the Church do.”
There were 25 multicultural communities represented at the Mass as well as a strong showing by the wider Australian community.
The multicultural Catholic communities represented at the Mass were the Latin American, Italian, Croatian, Indonesian, Maltese, Korean, Fijian, Syriac Catholic, Melkites, Chinese, St Bakhita South Sudanese Community, Brazilian, Portuguese, African, Burundi, Tongan, Samoan, Vietnamese, Timorese, Assyrian, Christian Orthodox, Samoan, Albanian and Polish communities.
Evangelisation Brisbane Inclusion team project officer Jessica Laidler said there was a “buzz” around the cathedral precinct “as people from all walks of life entered their cathedral to celebrate as one”.
Four choirs sung at the Mass – the Indonesian Catholic Family Choir, Latin American Choir, Italian Choir and the Croatian Choir.
The first reading was said by a member of the Fijian Community, the Responsorial Psalm by a member of the Korean Community, the second reading by a member of the Syriac Community and the Gospel was sung by Melkite Catholic Community parish priest Fr Elie Francis.
The prayers of the faithful were said by members of the Indonesian, Maltese, Italian, St Bakhita, Croatian and Brazilian communities.
“There was an immense sense of gratitude to be able to celebrate face-to-face again, as the 2020 Multicultural Mass was limited to only 100 people due to COVID restrictions,” Ms Laidler said.
“Although the restrictions this year meant some aspects of the celebration had to be changed, we are so grateful that all plans were able to go ahead – with masks on.”
She said the Multicultural Mass Committee did an excellent job in organising parts of the Mass and the after celebrations.
“We are extremely grateful to them for volunteering their time to help make the day possible,” she said.
“The faith of the Australian Church is enlivened and enriched through the faith and commitment of each cultural community.
“As we appreciate the diverse nature of each community, we encounter the universality of being a truly Catholic Church.”
