Filipino community celebrates 15th anniversary, community Mass

Intermountain Catholic

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The Filipino community comes forward for the traditional ritual of pagmamano; they show respect for Bishop Wester by placing his hand to their forehead. IC photo/Christine Young

SALT LAKE CITY — The Filipino community celebrated its 15th anniversary in the Diocese of Salt Lake City and its annual bishop’s Mass with the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Dec. 2.

Many members of the Utah Filipino community, known as Misang Bayan, attended the First Sunday of Advent Mass concelebrated by Bishop Wester and Father Joey Frez, associate pastor of Saint Francis Xavier Parish. Fr. Frez is a native of the Philippines.

"I am grateful for the Filipino community because you bring the richness of your gifts," said Bishop Wester. "The expression of your Catholic faith has been handed down over the generations in the Filipino community to our diocese and I encourage you to continue to share that tradition, nurture and foster it and keep it alive here in Utah because God speaks to you in a very special way. I hope the children are all learning Tagalog (a native Filipino language) because it’s a symbol of the Filipino culture and faith."

Misang Bayan is derived from the literal Tagalog translation for community Mass and refers to the Filipino Catholic community. With the privilege of Misang Bayan comes the responsibility of preserving and sharing unique Filipino traditions, fostering fellowship and strengthening the sense of community among the Filipinos in Utah, said Jun Enriquez, Misang Bayan coordinator.

After the Mass, past Misang Bayan coordinators and volunteers were thanked: among them were Raul Yumul, Millie Paita, Maffie Saldania Tukker, Grace Caluen, Tita Sonia Diaz, Rico Sese and the late Dr. Antonio Camu.

Fr. Frez, before he was ordained a priest, was one of the core members who started Misang Bayan.

"It began under Father Augustine Opalalic, a visiting priest from the Philippines, who wanted to start a Filipino Mass," said Fr. Frez, adding that Fr. Opalalic also guided him in his vocation. "The Filipino community is run by the lay people, and our purpose is to encourage Filipinos to be active in their own parishes and not reliant on the community. That’s why we don’t do weekly Filipino Masses. We have an overall coordinator, but different leaders of each celebration. But it is also good for us to get together as a group because, of course, we feel homesick for the Philippines, especially during Advent and Christmas, and that is why we want to share our traditions, and it is a good way for us to keep our traditions alive."

Other cultural traditions the Filipino people celebrate are the Simbang Gabi novena before Christmas, and the Santa Cruzan in May, which is a floral procession that commemorates the finding of the holy cross. They also celebrate the first two saints of the Philippines, San Lorenzo Ruiz and Pedro Calunsod. During Lent, they celebrate the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday at people’s homes.

"Part of our tradition is also to celebrate our feasts, or fiesta, which is a Spanish word," said Enriquez. "The Philippines was under Spain’s rule and influence for many years."

Sonia Diaz, a member of the Filipino community who helped start Misang Bayan, likes the feasts, especially the adobo chicken or pork and the pancit, or noodles, she said. "I have watched the Filipino community grow from just a few families to many families now; I really like the togetherness of the community," she said. "We enjoy getting together and sharing our culture."

"The Filipino community has been privileged to share its traditions throughout the 15 years, and we hope that the rest of this year’s festivities will bring our community closer together," said Reme Machon, a leader in the Filipino community, adding that the Simbang Gabi begins Dec. 15 at Blessed Sacrament Parish and continues at different parishes, culminating with a Christmas Day Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.