St. Boniface Church in Cleveland was filled with bright colors – including many people dressed in red, the traditional color for the new year celebration – and the smell of incense as the Vietnamese Apostolate gathered for Mass on Feb. 11. They also were marking Tet, the lunar new year, and the beginning of the Year of the Dragon.
Bishop Edward Malesic joined the pastor, Father Mark Dao Quoc Minh, for the liturgy. Father Damian Ference, vicar for evangelization, also attended the celebration.
“I am delighted to be able to be here with you at St. Boniface Parish to celebrate the holy sacrifice of the Mass and the start of the annual Tet new year,” the bishop told the congregation. He said he was honored to be able to meet members of the Vietnamese Apostolate, which was established in 1992.
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“I am blessed to live in such a diverse community with many cultures and traditions that is reflected of the universal nature of our Catholic Church. We are one out of many,” he said. “The deep way you express your love of God through worship, teaching and service here at your parish warms my heart. And your steadfast dedication to the Catholic faith serves as an enduring inspiration to ma and to others. I offer my deepest thanks to all of you for the Christian Catholic example of faith and life you inspire us with every day.”
The bishop said he enjoys celebrations like Tet because not only does the community gather to give glory and praise to God, but on this occasion, they also celebrate the new year. It’s a time to remember and keep alive honored Tet traditions and to pray for the peace and prosperity of the nation.
“Peace begins with us, in our hearts. May we be at peace today so that we can give the peace we have found in Jesus to those we meet along the way,” the bishop added.
It’s appropriate to thank God for the blessings of the past year and to look to him and rely on his providence for blessings in the new year, the bishop said. Among those blessings are the love of family and friends, including those who have passed into eternal life.
“We are especially grateful for God’s love that is shown to us through friends and family. With great love in our hearts and deep devotion to God, we ask his blessings on all our efforts in the new year to bless our loved ones, our faith community, our neighborhoods, our world,” the bishop said.
“We are confident in the knowledge that God is with us always, even in the challenging times of our life. We face the new year relying on the words of Jesus who said that he came to give us life and to give it to us more abundantly,” he added.
With the new year being a fresh start, he said the day’s Old Testament reading from Genesis about Noah and the ark seemed appropriate, since it reminds us that no matter what storms we might experience, God is faithful, he cares for us and wants us all to come to a good end.
The second reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Philippians was fitting because it was a reminder to rejoice in the Lord always. Even when he was a prisoner of the Romans, St. Paul could find a reason to be happy because he believed and proclaimed that Christ had risen from the dead. Because of that, his own future was secured in heaven.
In the Gospel from St. Matthew, there was a comforting message for the new year, telling us to “let go and let God.” We may worry a lot, but must trust in God because he will guide us. We must seek the kingdom of God in all things, doing everything for Jesus because he has done everything for us, Bishop Malesic said.
It’s also a good message to remember as the season of Lent approaches. Lent is a time for prayer, fasting and almsgiving as well as a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter.
“I encourage you to use the upcoming season of Lent to seek first the kingdom of God that is already within you. Learn to grow in trust in God who provides for you. God cares for you and will see you all to a happy end – to salvation itself,” the bishop said. “May this new year be filled with every blessing that God has ready for you to receive.”
After Mass, he posed for photos with some of the community who were wearing native Vietnamese dress, including ao dai – long, split tunics worn over trousers – and traditional headpieces. Then bishop also enjoyed a variety of homemade, traditional foods and entertainment.