World Day Of Migrants And Refugees

Queen of Vietnamese Martyrs Church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, hosted a Holy Mass that was celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Jorge Rodriguez and with priests from the Archdiocese of Denver con -celebrating the mass with him. It was quite moving to see the different countries represented in their native dress. How I wished for a better camera to get everything that was going on in sharp, clear photos.

Even though I had marked my calendar to attend this mass, I completely spaced it and was making plans to go the Westminster Oktoberfest!  I received a call from a friend to tell me about the special mass and my plans changed. I remember the saying in Spanish that we can make plans but God decides what we will do!

I had never been to the Vietnamese church though I had passed it many times and wondered if they worshiped the same as we do. Here was my time to find out! As I entered the church I was confronted with priests I used to know when I worked for the Archdiocese of Denver. After greeting them I continued toward the pews to find a seat when a man came to me with outstretched arms.
"Erlinda, how are you. You won't believe this but just a few weeks ago someone came in asking about you and the pilgrimages you used to plan." I knew him from my past and recognized him immediately because he is now the Director of Centro San Juan Diego where I used to work. We embraced and he asked me to contact him and gave me his card.



The church was crowded but I found a seat where it looked like I would be able to take photos. My mind was not on photography, but I was thinking about how God works in my life. A few weeks ago I was thinking about the pilgrimages I used to do every year to New Mexico and wondered if I should call Centro and offer my services. Because I procrastinate God took matters in his own hands and now I have a card with the phone number and e-mail of the Director of Centro. To me this was a miracle made possible because a friend called me to let me know of the migrant mass. God worked through her because I was still home and had not left for the 12:15 mass at my church. Her call to me came in around 11:30 a.m. and if she had not called me I would not have seen the Director and maybe I would never have called to see if pilgrimages needed to be planned.

The mass was beautiful and different people were dressed in their native clothing. The African group impressed me with their colorful outfits and the Vietnamese with their slim bodies! The countries represented were Pakistan, Africa, Mexico, Myanmar, Colombia, El Salvador, Vietnamese, Ghana, plus other countries. We all prayed the Our Father in our own language and it fascinated me to hear the murmur of many voices in different languages.

Singing by the different groups was amazing and when I looked up at the choir loft that stretched across the church each group had it's own singers and music.

After mass we walked to a reception area where tables were set up and every table had eight bottles of water. I thought that was a neat touch. There were three  long tables with food from different countries but it seemed to me that there were more Mexican dishes. I was told that twenty four dozen tamales had been purchased for the occasion. Asians prepared egg rolls, Pakistan had a delicious dessert that looked like tangled orange string but it was honey with sugar.  Not good for diabetics!

A potato and egg dish may have come from Peru and brown balls I was told were rice but when I bit into it I got a mouthful of tasty bread.

Lots of delicious and different food to feed the close to 300 persons. Different countries entertained the crowd with dances from their areas. What a glorious gathering and I could only think that our world would be better off if everyone loved and respected each other as we were doing today!

"I wish that you can live peacefully in the towns that welcome you, 

respecting their laws and traditions and, at the same time, maintaining 

the values of your cultures of origin...the meeting of different cultures 

is always an enrichment for all!"

Pope Francis