Hundreds of people packed into St. Michael the Archangel Church on Cleveland?s West Side for the annual Mass for Immigrants, Migrants and Refugees on Jan. 14. Bishop Nelson Perez celebrated the liturgy, which incorporated the culture and languages of many participating nationalities.
The bishop acknowledged the diversity of the congregation, noting that those gathered represented many areas of a diverse world. ?If we talked about every country represented, we?d here until 6 p.m.,? he quipped. Instead, he identified continents or regions of the world and asked those from the area to stand. Among the areas he recognized were Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, the Caribbean, North America, Australia, South America, Central America.
?And now those representing the Catholic Church please stand,? he said, as the entire congregation stood.
The bishop told the gathering that we are a nation of immigrants. ?Unless you are a Native American, you came from somewhere else,? he said.
But, he noted, ?The Catholic Church has no borders. We can?t separate our culture and diversity from our faith. The Church is a community without borders. We each bring our own gifts, customs, food, language, etc. as we gather around the table of the Lord where all are welcome. You cannot build a wall around that table because Christ has no borders,? Bishop Perez said.
He compared the Church to a family, pointing out there might be problems between certain groups, but that?s how families and life are. ?It means we?re human,? he said, adding, ?we celebrate our diversity and our love.?
Humans have always been on the move, the bishop said, making a comparison to the Holy Family and their travels. ?The time will come when we will reach our ultimate destination
