African Mass celebrates archdiocese’s various cultures

Benedictine Father Boniface Hardin, a monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad and the founder of Martin University in Indianapolis, listens to a Scripture reading during the African Catholic Mass on Dec. 5 at St. Rita Church. (Photo by Mary Ann Wyand)

By Mary Ann Wyand

God desires that all of his creation live in harmony.

The peaceable kingdom described by the prophet Isaiah (Is 11:1-10) was the focus of Father Kenneth Taylor’s homily during the African Catholic Mass on Dec. 5 at St. Rita Church in Indianapolis.

“On this Second Sunday of Advent, as we come together in prayer and faith,” Father Taylor said, “we want to take to heart the words of John the Baptist in the Gospel to repent so that we will be prepared for the Lord to come to us” (Mt 3:1-2).

Advent is a time of anticipation for the coming of the Messiah, he said, but in order to prepare for the Lord we must cleanse our lives of division and discord so there will be harmony in the world.

“I think that is a powerful image, a powerful vision,” the pastor of Holy Angels Parish in Indianapolis said, “because harmony is such an important part of African spirituality—harmony not only amongst people but also harmony with God’s creation.”

Father Taylor, who serves as the director of the archdiocesan Office of Multicultural Ministry, was the principal celebrant for the African Mass and also celebrated a Mass with Vietnamese Catholics on Dec. 5 at St. Joseph Church in Indianapolis.

“If we are convinced that this [peaceable kingdom] is going to happen,” he said, “then we will want to do things now that will lead us on the way to the fulfillment of that vision. … As John the Baptist says in the Gospel, repent and prepare the way of the Lord … by promoting harmony ourselves, which means that we make a commitment that we will not do things that are divisive or bring about discord. … We will live in such a way that we will not only try to bring God’s people together, but we will also live in harmony with God’s creation and the environment.”

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, Father Taylor said, “we need to repent of the times that we have created division and discord, and have moved further away from the vision of harmony.”

To experience the vision of Advent, he said, “there are things we need to get right within ourselves before we celebrate Christmas, … so we can be ever closer to God and ever more ready to receive the Messiah, who is coming to us.

“The spirituality of Africa holds harmony as a high value, a high ideal,” Father Taylor said. “So if we work toward harmony, not only will we be trying to bring the prophetic vision to life, but we will also be reconnecting with our [African] roots, reconnecting with the idea that God originally intended that all he created would be complementary to each other.”

After the liturgy, which was celebrated in 10 languages, St. Rita parishioners served African and American foods during a festive reception.

St. Rita parishioner JoAnn Combs of Indianapolis said she likes to participate in the African Mass because it celebrates the diversity of African languages, cultures and music.

“I enjoy bringing everybody together under the roof of the church,” Combs said, “and then sharing the meal and eating the [different] foods. … It’s an exchange that I think is wonderful. The music and dancing are beautiful. I pray that the African Mass will continue to grow. We would love to see even more people.”

Holy Angels parishioner Sally Stovall of Indianapolis serves as the chairperson of the African Catholic Ministry in the archdiocese, and helps coordinate the traditional African Mass celebrations in June and December.

“We are challenging all of the Africans to please get involved in the ministry,” Stovall said. “This ministry was formed for us to express our African cultures in the archdiocese. Our African choir is open to anybody who is interested. You will learn about the African culture and the African languages.”

(For more information about the African Catholic Mass, contact the archdiocesan Office of Multicultural Ministry at 317-236-1562 or 800-382-9836, ext. 1562.) †