Annual Intercultural Marian Celebration: a sign of unity among Utah Catholics

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SALT LAKE CITY — Each year in October the Diocese of Salt Lake City sponsors a Marian celebration; it began 15 years ago as a way to honor Our Lady of the Rosary and to build cultural unity in the diocese, said Maria Cruz Gray, director of the diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry.

The event honors not just the Holy Mother but also the rosary, Gray said. Mary was first venerated under the title Our Lady of the Rosary after the Battle of Lepanto, which occurred on Oct. 7, 1571. The naval battle was between the Holy League – a coalition of Catholic states arranged by Pope Pius V – and the fleet of the Ottoman Empire, which was threatening to invade Christian Europe. Before the battle, Pope Pius V asked Catholics to pray the rosary for the defeat of their enemy. The Christians were vastly outnumbered, but when they won the battle the pope attributed the victory to the rosary and Our Lady’s intercession. He also instituted the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary to commemorate the victory.

The first year the Intercultural Marian Celebration was held at the Cathedral of the Madeleine; about 50 people attended.  This year, the celebration will take place at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Kearns and close to 1,000 participants are expected. They will bring numerous representations of Our Lady as she appears in various cultures throughout the world. Some will rest on a platform surrounded by flowers and carried on the shoulders of several men; others will be as simple as a small picture held by one member of the faithful. These representations will be carried in a procession that will wind for several blocks around the church. Our Lady of La Vang, a Vietnamese representation of Mary dear to parishioners, will lead the procession.

“It is not a competition, which one is pretty or not, or whatever,” Gray said. “We just want to be together. This is our day to celebrate Our Mother — we are together in our faith, and we like that, and everybody is welcome.”

Many participants will wear the attire of their native country or their ethnic background, and some of the children will come dressed as angels to accompany Our Lady. During the procession, the rosary will be recited in several languages.

“It’s really a sweet, sweet celebration,” Gray said. “It’s so good to see the procession with Africans, Samoans, Koreans, Filipinos, people from across Europe and from all the continents.”

This annual observance strengthens bonds between the community when they share a celebration like this, not only the Hispanic community but also the other ethnicities in the diocese, she said.  “We are many Hispanics in the diocese, but what about other brothers and sisters? They might not feel they have as much representation.”

The procession will end at the church, where Bishop Oscar A. Solis will preside at a special Mass that will be celebrated in several languages. Following the Mass, there will be a meal with food from many countries, along with entertainment highlighting various cultures.

WHAT: Intercultural Marian Celebration

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 5, 3 – 9 p.m.; Mass at 5 p.m.

WHERE: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 4360 West 5415 South, Kearns

Free; everyone is welcome.