Migrant Sunday at St Mary’s

St Mary’s Parish Priest, Fra Michael D’Cruz OFM, joined the vibrant closing celebration by dancing alongside members of the different migrant communities.

Contributed by ACMI.

The Archdiocesan Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants & Itinerant People (ACMI) celebrated the 110th World Day of Migrants and Refugees at the Church of Saint Mary of the Angels on Sept 22.

Over 1,400 migrants, collaborators, guests, and the local community began the day with Mass celebrated by Cardinal William Goh, together with concelebrants and chaplains from the various migrant communities and St Mary’s.

Many migrants, such as the Vietnamese community, came dressed in their ethnic costumes, adding a splash of colour to the occasion.

Readings were in various languages, and the choir included hymns in both Tagalog and Mandarin.

In his homily, Cardinal Goh reminded the congregation that Singapore was built by migrants, and that the country has benefited from their labour.

The St Mary’s Tamil Community welcomed Cardinal William Goh with a traditional dance before the Mass began.

He also urged Singaporeans to be generous and compassionate towards their migrant brothers and sisters.

“Creation belongs to everyone, not just a selected group of people,” he said.

Among the congregation were some of ACMI’s Skills Development students, who take part in upskilling and language courses on Sundays to broaden their knowledge.

He asked the congregation to be generous with the blessings they received, and to focus more intentionally on the last, the lost, and the least.

“If we want to change the world, we need to first change ourselves,” he said, encouraging the faithful to live the Gospel and be the face of Christ in the world.

Representatives of the various migrant communities bringing up the gifts during the Offertory. Photos: VITA Images and Marcus Chung.

Embracing diversity

Following the Mass, 11 migrant communities showcased an array of performances from upbeat songs to traditional dance numbers, showing the crowd their unique ways of praising the Lord, while sandwiches prepared by the parish kept the crowd satisfied as they clapped, sang, and danced to the music.

The Church of St Mary of the Angels’ migrant communities, featuring the 1pm choir and the Filipino community, showcased a traditional Sinulog dance that honours the child Jesus.

The Indonesian community performed Ina Maria, a song dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Photos: VITA Images and Marcus Chung.

The Sri Lankan community sang two hymns, Diya Soyana and Rajaliyakage, which speak of a deep love and trust in the Lord through all circumstances, with Fra Julian Mariaratnam OFM (R) joining in for a song.

A toolkit on how to celebrate migrants throughout the year in English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil, can be found at rebrand.ly/ACMItoolkit. This includes resources for organising a Migrant Sunday Mass – Scripture readings, homily pointers, and prayers – and activity and gift ideas for parishioners and friends of migrants.

Source: Catholic News