Wearing a long white robe and youthful high-topped tennis shoes, altar server Gabby Palma proudly carried a large metal crucifix while leading a special procession Sunday at St. Julie Billiart Parish in Tinley Park.
Palma, who is Filipino and an eighth grader at Cardinal Joseph Bernardin School in Orland Hills, said she was thrilled her church was chosen as the venue for the Chicago Catholic Archdiocese 4th annual Asian Community Mass.
“Absolutely, this is special because we’re celebrating Mass with all different kinds of people,” Palma said.
Integral to the procession that preceded the 4 p.m. Mass was an elaborately dressed statue of the Virgin Mary covered in lace and carried by four volunteers. Other colorful likenesses of the mother of Jesus representing Korea, India, Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines and Myanmar stood at the center of the cavernous modern sanctuary.
Hosted in partnership with the Asian Catholic Initiative of the Archdiocese of Chicago, the special Mass was intended to celebrate the multicultural diversity of the archdiocese and offer Asian Catholics a chance to gather with Cardinal Blase Cupich to honor the Virgin Mary.
“Our Lady plays a big role in spirituality for Asian Catholics,” the Rev. Roy Belocura, associate pastor at St. Julie Billiart, explained after the Mass. “Throughout the Philippines and in Manila, there are many shrines to Mother Mary and churches with names that start with ‘Our Lady of.'”
Following a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the deeply religious celebration drew hundreds of Asian Catholics from throughout the Chicago region. A good portion of those who attended, were members of St. Julie Billiart and from the south and southwest suburbs.
“About 25% of our congregation attending Mass are Filipino,” said the Rev. Tirso Villaverde. “We also have several Indian families.”
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Villaverde said a former associate who is Vietnamese started an outreach program which has served to connect Asian Catholic families living in Orland, Tinley and the Joliet Archdiocese. “So, the Asian Catholic community is strong in the south suburbs,” Villaverde said.
Beyond representation that manifested in ethnically unique Mother Mary icons, language also played a major role in the celebration.
Altar server Palma said she appreciated portions of the celebration being presented in Tagalog, her native language, but also in Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese and Malayalam, a language of India. A saying of the rosary before the Mass included prayers in these languages.
Thanh Nguyen, an altar server, said “I think it’s great because sometimes we don’t know what the priest is saying because the Mass is in English.”
Nguyen’s cousin and fellow altar server Khoi Vo also appreciated the celebration.
“I think it’s an amazing thing they’re doing,” he said.
The teens are cousins and immigrants from Vietnam. They said in some instances they have translated certain words and phrases from Masses for family members.
When asked what he thought of the celebration, their young friend, altar server Aiden Ng, 9, said “I don’t know.” Even so, he smiled a lot and seemed happy to be there.
Amid clouds of fragrant incense, uplifting songs from a choir and music that included the talents of a skillful violinist, four lectors delivered Prayers of the Faithful in Korean, Chinese, Indian and Japanese.
Still, much of the Mass remained in English, including the homily delivered by Cardinal Cupich.
“It’s a joy to celebrate with Asian Catholics of Chicago and the Chicago area,” Cupich told the crowd. “You come with strong faith and family, and deep cultural roots, but also with your own particular mysteries that give our faith life. … We are stronger when we appreciate each others’ gifts, which is why it’s so important that we come together.”
Cupich called for the families to encourage younger generations to consider serving as priests and nuns.
Referring to the special reverence among Asian Catholics throughout the world for the Virgin Mary, he said, “We are guided by Our Lady because she is the mother of us all. She would never want us to be isolated into our own ethnic group or separate culture.”
After the Mass, several families posed for photos with the icons of Mary. People also approached the statues, lightly touching the platforms on which they stood, then making the sign of the cross.
Hundreds of visitors and congregation members also stayed on to share a meal prepared by congregation members and other volunteers in the parish’s William J. Devine Activity Center.
Susan DeGrane is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.