austraLasia 802
SALESIAN L.A. CENTRE ORGANIZES MAJOR ASIAN GATHERING FOR 'THE YEAR OF THE MONKEY'
LOS ANGELES: 5th February -- Fr. Joseph Cheng, Salesian director of St. Bridget Chinese Centre in Los Angeles, has organized, in conjunction with Cardinal Mahony and others from the Archdiocese, a major bringing together of the Asian Catholic Community in an example of cultural integration which respects and strengthens the distinct elements involved. The Chinese New Year mass, celebrated at Los Angeles' Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels 'helped restore our traditions', said Fr. Cheng.
He was not the only enthusiast to comment on the gathering. San Francisco Auxiliary Bishop Ignatius Wang, the main celebrant for the occasion, said "we celebrate the Chinese people, their culture and their way of life". They did so in ways that recalled the veneration Chinese have for their ancestors. After Communion, Cardinal Mahony, Bishop Wang and a third Bishop participated in an ancestral veneration ritual along with elders from the Chinese community. One member of the congregation was Lena Fung, a sprightly 97 years of age. She had helped found the Chinatown mission in 1941.
This is the first time that such liturgical solemnity has been invested in the Chinese New Year, at least for California, and has been recognised by the Asian community there as an important sign of acceptance of that community by the Church.
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