By Gia Myers • Posted October 16, 2024

African Catholics in the Philadelphia region gathered Sunday, Oct. 13 and nearly filled St. Irenaeus Church in Southwest Philadelphia for the 10^th anniversary African Family Heritage Mass. Auxiliary Bishop Efren V. Esmilla was the main celebrant and homilist.

Sponsored by the African Catholic Community Apostolate, part of the Office for African Catholics in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Mass honors the heritage and contributions of African families within the Church by blending cultures, languages, music, and attire from across the African continent.

The joyful atmosphere had the feeling of a large family reunion with people of all ages greeting one another with warm smiles and hugs.

Philadelphia residents Elizabeth Okafor, a member of Blessed Iwene Tansi Igbo Catholic Community, and Famatta Kiamue, a parishioner of Divine Mercy Parish in Philadelphia, were dressed in colorful outfits for the occasion and hugged upon meeting.

Okafor’s dress in green, orange, and black bore pictures of saints and those on the path to sainthood, including Saint John Paul II and Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi, a 20^th century Nigerian priest.

Planning for the Mass started last June and involved many community volunteers, according to Missionary Sister of the Holy Rosary Sister Florence Enechukwu, administrator of the archdiocesan Office for African Catholic Apostolate. She estimated  15 to 20 African communities were represented at the Mass.

The prelude hymn for the Mass was “Lord, Lift Your Name on High,” sung by the Sierra Leonean Choir representing the African country of Liberia, while children in procession carried flags from African countries, plus the American flag.

The entrance hymn, “In Joy, Lord, We Walk Toward You,” was sung in French by the Francophone Choir, representing a region of French-speaking African countries.

During the Liturgy of the Word, the first reading (Wisdom 7:7-11) was read in the Chewa language and represented the country of Malawi. The African Catholic Youth Choir chanted Psalm 90 for the responsorial psalm, and the second reading (Hebrews 4:12-13) was read in Portuguese representing the country of Mozambique. The Ghanaian Choir sung in Twi the Gospel acclamation, Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Finally, the Gospel reading from Mark (10:17-30) was proclaimed in English by Permanent Deacon Samuel Ujor, a pastoral associate at St. Francis de Sales Parish in Philadelphia. In the passage, a rich young man asks Jesus how to live one’s earthly life so that one might have eternal life in heaven.

In his homily following the proclamation of the Gospel, Bishop Esmilla said, “God knows and understands our struggles and weakness.” He urged the congregation to remember Matthew 19:26, which says, “With God, all things are possible.”

After speaking about the Mass readings, Bishop Esmilla stepped away from the ambo and stood in front of the altar to address the congregation more directly.

Referring to his ordination as a bishop last March, he said, “I’m only seven months old as a bishop,” which received applause from the audience.

“We’re blessed to have so many families from the African community,” said Bishop Esmilla.  “You bring songs, culture, delicious food, and dancing.”

Though there are many different nationalities and customs across the Catholic Church, “We’re all Christian by virtue of the holy water and chrism,” he said.

The homily was followed by the Creed, led by the African Catholic Youth Choir, and the Prayer of the Faithful by representatives from the Nigerian Igbo community plus Burkina Faso, Haiti, Sierra Leone, Benin, Kenya and Ghana.

The Angolan community presented the offertory gifts of bread and wine, followed by a procession of people carrying donations of food and paper products contributed by each African community to Catholic Social Services (CSS) of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in thanks for CSS’s support of immigrant and refugee families in the Philadelphia region.

A dinner took place following Mass in the church social hall featuring traditional African cuisine prepared and shared by members from all of the communities in attendance.

The Archdiocesan African Heritage Mass was first celebrated in 2014 at St. Cyprian Church on Cobbs Creek Parkway in West Philadelphia. From 2020-2021, the Mass was celebrated via Zoom due to COVID restrictions. The goal remains the same each year — to bring the multilingual and multicultural African Catholics together.

Sister Florence says she hopes the Mass “gives nourishment to people,  a sense of their community, and [mutual] support.”

For more information on the African Catholic Community Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, click here to visit their Facebook page.