Asian Catholic Community gathers for annual Mass, celebration

The traditional Vietnamese gong and drums sounded at noon on Oct. 4 signaling the start of the 29thannual Asian Catholic Community Mass and gathering. Once again, St. Clarence Parish in North Olmsted hosted the celebration.

Banners representing some of the Asian nationalities in the diocese were placed in front of the worship space during the liturgy. Many attendees were in native dress, with colorful saris (worn by women on the Indian subcontinent), ao dai (a long, split tunic worn over silk trousers by the Vietnamese), qipao (the one-piece dress with a mandarin collar worn by many Chinese) and hanbok (the long, flowing outfit worn by Koreans) visible throughout the church.

Father Keon Tu, OFM Cap, was the presider and homilist. Father Damian Ference, diocesan vicar for evangelization, was among the concelebrants. Several other priests and deacons with ties to the Asian community assisted with the liturgy.

Lynette Cisneros, assistant secretary for the diocesan Office of Catechetical Formation and Parish Life, welcomed the faithful to the celebration.

Father Tu, who was born in China, was ordained in 2017. He is a Capuchin of the St. Augustine Province in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Father Tu studied canon law at The Catholic University of America.

“Happy feast of St. Francis to all of you,” he told St. Clarence parishioners and members of the Asian Catholic Community who gathered for the liturgy. He also expressed his appreciation to Bishop Edward Malesic, Father Don Oleksiak, diocesan vicar general, other diocesan officials and the people of the Cleveland Diocese for the invitation and warm welcome.

“I am deeply grateful for the rich diversity of the Asian community in Cleveland and in our Church and for our shared journey as pilgrims of harmony and peace in this special Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi,” he added. Father Tu also participated in the Transitus celebration hosted by local Franciscans on Oct. 3 at the Conversion of St. Paul Shrine in Cleveland.

Portions of the Oct. 4 Mass were in various languages spoken in Asian countries including Vietnamese, Chinese, Hungarian, tagalog (Philippines), Korean and Hindi (India). A choir consisting of various Asian nationalities sang at the liturgy.

After Mass, all were invited to the parish pavilion for fellowship and a meal consisting of various Asian dishes including spring rolls, kimchi, rice, noodles, chick peas, adobo and more.