Richness of Advent traditions to be celebrated in diocese: Simbang Gabi
SALT LAKE CITY —Catholics from various areas of the world, including the Philippines, have made the Diocese of Salt Lake City their home. Along with their many gifts, they have brought with them Advent traditions that now are part of the season’s celebrations in the local Church.
Simbang Gabi, a Filipino tradition of nine daily Masses prior to Christmas, goes back more than 400 years and was introduced by Spanish friars when the Philippines was ruled by Spain. The Masses of the novena were celebrated at dawn to allow farmers to attend Mass before going to the fields to work.
In the Diocese of Salt Lake City, the novena is celebrated Dec. 15 to 23 in different churches and at different times along the Wasatch Front. Each year, members of Misang Bayan, the Utah Filipino Catholic community, organize the celebrations. This year, the theme for Simbang Gabi is “Celebrate, live and share the word of God.”
During the Simbang Gabi Masses, the Misang Bayan members, who may be dressed in traditional attire (weather permitting), will process to the altar with paróls. These are star-shaped lanterns that represent the star that guided the three wise men to the stable in Bethlehem where the infant Jesus had been born. The paróls are made by hand out of bamboo, tissue paper and colored cellophane.
For the Masses celebrated on days other than Sunday, much of the liturgy and music will be in Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines, said Marina Fernandez, an Our Lady of Guadalupe parishioner who is one of the organizers of the yearly Simbang Gabi celebration in Utah. After each Mass, the host parish will sponsor a get-together where traditional Filipino food such as adobo (meat, seafood, or vegetables marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and black peppercorns), pancit (stir-fried noodles) and menudo (a pork stew) will be served.
“Simbang Gabi is important for us; as Filipinos we try to continue our culture that we learned from our mother country,” Fernandez said. “Some of us have been here for many years so we try to continue our different traditions and customs and make sure we practice them, especially during Christmas.”
The celebration, which is open to everyone, shows how hospitable Filipinos are, Fernandez said. “It is also a way to show the rest of the community how important their religion is to most Filipinos.”
Currently five Filipino priests, including Bishop Oscar A. Solis, serve in the diocese. Among them is Father Rodelio Ignacio, parochial vicar of St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church, who grew up celebrating Simbang Gabi in Valenzuela City, the Philippines.
During Simbang Gabi, Fr. Ignacio would attend Mass with his whole family every evening. In elementary school, he learned to make paróls from bamboo sticks and Japanese paper, and would make different ones each year for the celebration. As part of the celebration, they would sing Christmas carols in English and Tagalog. Afterwards the family would enjoy puto bumbong (a cylindrical cake of steamed, purple rice) and bibingka (a steamed rice pancake) with herbal tea, which they would buy from food booths set up outside the church.
Another priest from the Philippines serving in the Diocese is Fr. Ariel Durian, administrator of St. Peter Catholic Church, who also grew up making paróls and attending Mass as part of observing Simbang Gabi.
‘It’s a joyful experience of going to Church early in the morning, and afterwards we had breakfast at the plaza where vendors were and are still selling local native food and delicacies,” he said.
In the Philippines, Christmas preparations begin in September, Fr. Durian said.
“Since I came here to the U.S. in 2005, I never had the chance to go home and celebrate Christmas with my family,” he said. “That is something that I miss a lot: the craziness of Christmas preparation as well as the celebration. There is no place in the world like Christmas in the Philippines, and for that reason we bring this tradition everywhere there are Filipinos.”
Diocese of Salt Lake City Simbang Gabi Schedule
Sunday, Dec. 15: 1 p.m. with Fr. Joshua Santos at St. Jerome Catholic Newman Center, 795 North 800 East, Logan
Monday, Dec. 16: 7 p.m. with Fr. John Norman at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 1375 E. Spring Lane, Salt Lake City
Tuesday, Dec. 17: 7 p.m. with Fr. Anastasius Iwuoha at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 1040 West 400 South, Salt Lake City
Wednesday, Dec. 18: 7 p.m. with Fr. Martin Diaz at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, 309 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City
Thursday, Dec. 19: 7 p.m. with Fr. Rodelio Ignacio at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, 715 West 300 North, Salt Lake City
Friday, Dec. 20: 7 p.m. with Fr. Jan Bednarz at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church, 4914 South 2200 West, Taylorsville
Saturday, Dec. 21: 5:30 p.m. with Fr. Ariel Durian at St. Peter Catholic Church, 634 North 600 East, American Fork
Sunday, Dec. 22: 5:30 p.m. with Fr. Rodelio Ignacio at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church, 1505 White Pine Canyon Road, Park City
Monday, Dec. 23: 7 p.m. with Bishop Oscar A. Solis and Fr. Javier Virgen at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, 7405 S. Redwood Road, West Jordan
© Copyright 2024 The Diocese of Salt Lake City. All rights reserved.
Stay Connected With Us