By Emily Drooby
Parishioners say they look forward to the annual Migration Day Mass. Wenmey Ting who attends St John Vianney in Flushing, Queens says, “This is very meaningful for Chinese-Mandarin immigrants here.”
While Josefinn Arriga who attends St Agatha in Brooklyn observes, “You see it’s different countries, different peoples, race. I think it’s very nice.”
The annual Mass was held on Saturday the 1st of December at the Co-Cathedral of Saint Joseph. Parishioners and clergy members from Ethnic Ministries of the diocese were joined by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, who’s an internationally recognized leader on migrant issues.
Bishop DiMarzio explains, “We seem to be in different areas different camps different ways of thinking of things but the church has that ability to bring people together across all these lines we have a common faith that unites us.”
The event promoting unity with a reading of the prayer of the faithful in 25 different languages. Father Patrick Keating explained the importance of the event saying, “On any given Sunday, Mass is celebrated in 29 different languages and you really see the extent to that diversity in Brooklyn.”
Attendees expressed the importance of this event in the current political climate, which attendee, Gladys Ozoude, called unwelcoming to immigrants.
Ozoude explained, “We should not let those people win because we all are one humankind. God created everybody, we should welcome everybody, because we are all visitors on Earth. One of these days we all go back to where we came from.”
Father Patrick Keating further explaining the Migration Day Mass is about coming together and sharing the oneness of their faith.