Colorful Hispanic Apostolate Mass celebrates heritage and hope (Photos)
On Oct. 10, more than a thousand worshippers filled the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, NJ, to celebrate the Jubilee Mass for the Hispanic Apostolate. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, presided at the liturgy. He was joined at the altar by Auxiliary Bishops Pedro Bismarck Chau, Manuel A. Cruz, and Michael A. Saporito, Bishop Emeritus Gregory J. Studerus, and more than 25 priests from across the Archdiocese.
“Tonight, we celebrate the gift of ourselves, our cultures, songs, dances — and our faith, which is the most precious gift of all,” Cardinal Tobin said as he greeted all present.
The opening procession featured flagbearers in colorful cultural attire bringing in the American and Vatican flags, followed by the flags of twenty countries with Hispanic populations. During the Mass, which was celebrated in Spanish, joyful worshippers sang traditional hymns like Santa Maria, Ven and Vienen Con Alegría.
Called to be missionaries
In his homily, delivered in Spanish, Cardinal Tobin reflected upon the meaning of coming together during a Jubilee year:
“Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this year we celebrate the Hispanic Heritage Mass during the great Jubilee of Hope. It is a beautiful occasion to rekindle within us an awareness of our missionary vocation — our missionary vocation that is born from the desire to bring to all the joy and consolation of the Gospel, especially to those who live difficult and wounded stories.
Tonight, I think in a special way of our migrant brothers and sisters who have had to leave their homeland, often leaving behind their loved ones, going through nights filled with fear and loneliness, and suffering in their own flesh the pain of discrimination and violence.”
He reminded those present of the call “to live with joy,” and to “rekindle within ourselves the fire of our missionary vocation.”
“Brothers and sisters, today marks the beginning of a new missionary era in the history of the Archdiocese of Newark,” Cardinal Tobin said. “For a long time, we have associated mission with departing — going to faraway lands that had not yet known the Gospel and were living in poverty.”
The frontiers of mission have expanded beyond geography, the cardinal said, because “poverty, suffering, and a yearning for greater hope now come to us.”
He added:
“The stories of many of our migrant brothers and sisters bear witness to this: the drama of fleeting violence, the suffering that accompanies them, the fear of not making it, and the risk of dangerous journeys through jungles and deserts.
The program we launched this Jubilee Year, We Are His Witnesses, offers us time to walk together, discerning and listening to one another. Synodality calls us to be a Church that is open, welcoming, and committed to the most vulnerable.”
Words of thanks
Before the closing prayer, Deacon Asterio Velasco, Director of the Hispanic Ministry of the Archdiocese of Newark, thanked Cardinal Tobin, the bishops and priests who concelebrated Mass, and all the many parishes that participated in the celebration. He congratulated Auxiliary Bishop Chau again on his recent elevation and directed special words of gratitude to Bishop Emeritus Studerus, who retired in September.
“From a young age, he learned our language, traveled several times to our countries to master it in order to be with us and serve us better,” Deacon Velasco said. “It has been more than 40 years since he began walking with us. He has served in parishes assisting the Hispanic community throughout his priestly life and, in recent years, as the auxiliary bishop serving Hudson County. Our Hispanic community has always felt your closeness, your care, and your pastoral zeal. Today we give thanks for your great work and ask the Lord to continue to bless you abundantly.”
The festive atmosphere of the Jubilee celebration continued after Mass, when people gathered outside to take photos with their parishes, priests, and bishops.
Click HERE to view more images from the Jubilee Mass for the Hispanic Apostolate.
You can learn more about the Hispanic Apostolate HERE.
Featured image: Members of the Hispanic Apostolate gather outside the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, NJ, displaying the American and Vatican flags, along with 20 flags representing countries with Hispanic populations. (Photos by Julio Eduardo Herrera / Archdiocese of Newark)
