The annual Multicultural Mass will be held in the Cathedral of St Stephen on Sunday 31 August at 2.00pm.
The Mass celebrates the theme of “Young Migrants – A Gift to Australia” and is being held as the culmination of Migrant and Refugee Week 2008.
Bishop Joseph Oudeman OFMCap DD, a migrant himself having come to Australia from the Netherlands with his family in the 1950’s, will celebrate the Mass, alongside chaplains and priests who minister to ethnic communities.
Around 1000 people are expected to attend the colourful event, a collaborative work of the Ethnic Ministers Group, Centre for Multicultural Pastoral Care and the Catholic ethnic communities in the Archdiocese of Brisbane.
The ideology behind the day is to celebrate the diversity of cultures in Australia and to respect that culture as a crucial part in the formation of a person’s identity.
This year will also continue a link from World Youth Day with the world youth day pilgrims from various ethnic communities getting together as one to sing the official theme from WYDSYD08.
Mr Clyde Cosentino, the Director of the Centre for Multicultural Pastoral Care, said the hopeful message arising from the celebration lies in the real stories of those whom we welcome lovingly and openly as strangers whether they have arrived as migrants or refugees.
“Our country is made up of people who have migrated to Australia from all parts of the world,” Mr Cosentino said.
“Each have a story to tell in their own language and their own culture.
“They have been welcomed to our country as migrants and refugees, and have, in turn, welcomed others who have arrived as strangers,” he said.
Understandably there are always different expressions of the faith that come from the various countries and the annual Multicultural Mass is a great way to showcase that.
Around 30 different nationalities are expected to participate, many being offered a role in the integral parts of the Mass.
The various ethnic communities will perform different things, for example some do the reading in their own language while others will provide a choir.
A gathering including entertainment will be held on the Cathedral Lawns at the conclusion of the Mass to which participants have been asked to bring a plate of food from their own cultural background.
For further enquiries on the Multicultural Mass 2008 please call CMPC on (07) 3336 9174 or (07) 3876 3295.
Released by the Catholic Communications Office