Hundreds of people crowded into St. Boniface Church on Cleveland?s West Side for the 11 a.m. Mass on Feb. 18. Many wore traditional Vietnamese ao dai, a long, slim silk tunic over pants, in a variety of bright colors. Some also wore matching turban-style hats.
It was the First Sunday of Lent and the celebration of Tet, or the lunar new year, the most important celebration in the Vietnamese culture. Gongs sounded as the entrance procession began. The front of the church was decorated with bright red banners in honor of the new year, as well as yellow flowers in the sanctuary.
Bishop Nelson Perez was the celebrant. He was assisted by Father Simon Hoang Minh Dao, St. Boniface pastor, and Father Augustine Pham Van Lan, a retired priest in the diocese.
?Happy new year,? the bishop said, asking how to say it in Vietnamese. ?Ch
