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Feature News | Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Colors of diversity on display at annual Migration Mass

Multicultural event pays tribute to those who leave homeland seeking a better life

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MIAMI | Every color and race, and many of the languages and cultures living under the South Florida sun, were represented Jan. 8 at St. Mary Cathedral during the annual Mass kicking off National Migration Week.

The double celebration each year marks the feast of the Epiphany - the reverlation of Christ to the Gentiles - while paying tribute to those who journey far from their homeland to seek a better, safer, or freer way of life.

The Mass highlights the diversity of Catholicism in South Florida, as members of each of the cultural groups process into church wearing traditional outfits, and their choirs take turns singing hymns in their language during the Mass.

Afterward, all gather for a reception featuring folkloric songs and dances and a smorgasbord of foods from around the world. The Mass is organized each year by the Ministry to Cultural Groups, which is led by Father Jesus “Jets” Medina.

In his homily, Archbishop Thomas Wenski spoke about the theme for National Migration Week, Jan. 8-14, which is to “create a culture of encounter.” Echoing the words of the U.S. bishops, he called migration “an act of great hope” as well as “a lived reality for all of us here in South Florida.”

“Like the Magi who came to Bethlehem bearing gifts, the immigrant brings many gifts to his or her new country. Epiphany reminds us that God calls all peoples to salvation,” the archbishop said. “In a world which faces the globalization of indifference, a world in which the poor, the weak, the refugee are considered ‘disposable,’ the Church, 'in welcoming the stranger among us,' seeks to create a culture of encounter. As Pope Francis says, ‘Because faith is an encounter with Jesus, and we must do what Jesus does: encounter others.’”

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