About 1000 people celebrated the 17th Annual Cleveland
Asian Catholic Mass and Gathering on Sunday, October 5 hosted by the Asian
Ministry of the Diocese of Cleveland.
The cultural and ethnic diversity of the Asian Catholic
communities assembled at the Mass was reflected throughout the celebration.
Members of the various Asian communities came together with their own
traditions, dressed in colorful ethnic clothes: shimmering saris, kimonos,
karawangs, hanboks, barongs, and ao dai.
The entrance procession included
Vietnamese drums. During the Mass there was an incense ceremony by the
Vietnamese, and the Indian aarti. Hymns were sung by the choirs in various
Asian languages: Tagalog (Filipino), Korean, Vietnamese and Hindi (Indian).
The readings and the
prayers of the faithful were also said in various Asian languages.