IMAGE: CNS photo/Ben Nelms
By Alicia Ambrosio
VANCOUVER,
British Columbia (CNS) — Two figures dressed as Mary and Joseph made their way
down the center aisle of Vancouver’s Holy Rosary Cathedral. At various points, they stopped and asked a parishioner playing the part of an innkeeper for a
place to stay. Invariably the reply was negative. Finally, the two figures
reached the foot of the altar and asked the congregation if they had any room
for Christ. The congregation said they did have room for Christ, and only then did
the entrance procession for the first Simbang Gabi Mass of the year begin.
Simbang
Gabi refers to nine Masses in honor of Mary, traditionally celebrated in
the nine days before Christmas by Filipino Catholics around the world. The
Filipino community of Vancouver began the novena with a Mass celebrated
Archbishop Michael Miller at the cathedral.
The
scene of Mary and Joseph asking for a place to stay was a standard feature on
the first night of Simbang Gabi. It would help the faithful focus on making
room for Christ in their hearts.
Archbishop
Miller told the congregation Mary and Joseph repeatedly heard that there was no
room to spare because the people they met did not want to be bothered. The
world was in darkness and needed the light of Christ, he said.
“In
the ancient church, baptism was called the sacrament of light. In baptism you
became children of the light. You all have a light,” he said, adding, “someone
is waiting to see that light.”
“They
see the light of Lord shining through you simply because you celebrate the
birth of the Son of God,” Archbishop Miller said before he asked the
congregation to pause and silently ask themselves: “To whom should I bring
this light this Christmas? Who is waiting for you?”
Suggesting
ways one could bring Christ’s light to others, the archbishop said the faithful
could bring someone struggling with their faith to Christmas Mass. “Don’t leave them alone,” he said. “Through
you, Christ wants to reach out and touch them.
“We’ve
all received so much from him, let’s not hoard that light,” he said.
The
remaining eight Simbang Gabi Masses would be celebrated in a different
Vancouver parish each night. Host parishes would assemble a special choir for
their evening of Simbang Gabi. Celebrating the Masses in the evening was a
slight deviation from tradition. Normally, Simbang Gabi Masses would be
celebrated at dawn.
Michael
Goco, a member of the Filipino Catholic organization Sambayanang Pilipino
Society of British Columbia, which organized the novena, said the decision to
celebrate Simbang Gabi Masses in a different parish each night was practical and symbolic.
“In
a practical way, traveling from parish to parish gives more communities
throughout the archdiocese an opportunity to experience this gift and tradition
of the Filipino community” and at the same time “puts us, the ‘pilgrims’
who attend this Mass as well, in the place of Mary and Joseph, who invite these
parish communities to open their hearts for Christmas.”
The
tradition of Simbang Gabi Masses could be traced back to the arrival of Spanish
missionaries in the Americas and the Philippines. At the time they had a
tradition of celebrating pre-Christmas novena Masses in honor of the Annunciation.
Those Masses were known as “Misa de Gallo” or “rooster Mass,”
because they were celebrated at dawn.
Pope
Sixtus V gave Augustinians in the Americas permission to celebrate the Misa de
Gallo on the nine days leading up to Christmas. Spanish evangelizers in the
Philippines continued their tradition of celebrating nine days of Misa de Gallo
and found it was a good way to spread the faith to the people.
The same
evening as the Vancouver Mass, thousands of Filipino Catholics from throughout Southern
California celebrated with a special evening Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady
of the Angels in Los Angeles.
Archbishop
Jose H. Gomez was the main celebrant of the liturgy, sponsored by the Filipino
Ministry of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The Mass was preceded by the
traditional “Parade of Parols,” or Christmas lanterns, of more than 100
parishes.
Since
1986, Filipino Catholics have organized an annual Simbang Gabi novena
throughout the Archdiocese of Chicago. Every novena, which takes 12 months to
plan, becomes more popular, with an average of 45,000 people attending over the
nine days. Six percent of the archdiocese’s population is Asian, and many of
those are Filipinos.
This
year, 66 churches in all parts of the archdiocese will participate in Simbang
Gabi. Unlike in the Philippines, where the novena Masses are held at dawn, the
Masses in Chicago are held in the evening. Children usually carry parols in
opening processions during the service, and many people wear traditional
Filipino clothing. One of the highlights of the novena follows Mass when
participants partake of traditional Filipino food.
The
Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston has an extremely active Filipino Catholic
community, and last year nearly 30 parishes from Conroe to Nassau Bay, Texas, offered
Masses for Simbang Gabi, leading up to an archdiocesan Mass. In Houston, like
Chicago, the Masses are in the evenings.
“This
beautiful longstanding tradition of the Filipino community … is a beautiful
influence you can have on the diocese,” said Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo.
– – –
Contributing
to this story were Joyce Duriga in Chicago and James Ramos in Houston.
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