By Louise Kelly, Texas Catholic Herald

HOUSTON — The annual Asian Mass celebrates the diversity of Asian Catholics in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Six Asian cultures – Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Korean and Vietnamese – gathered together with Daniel Cardinal DiNardo Nov. 6 at Our Lady of Lourdes Church to celebrate the Mass. 

The theme of this year’s Mass was “Be Wise and Be Prepared,” taken from that Sunday’s Gospel reading about the 10 bridesmaids awaiting the bridegroom in Matthew 25:1-13. The Mass was celebrated in English, but the first two readings of the Mass and the general intercessions were in the languages of participating communities.

In its 16th year, the Mass reflects the languages of the many Asian cultures in the Archdiocese, with participants encouraged to wear their traditional garb for the festivities. A reception featuring samples of Asian food along with performances of traditional music and dance followed the Mass.

This article is reposted from the Texas Catholic Herald web site.