Changing hearts and preserving cultures

By Emily Chaffins -

Photography: MARLENE QUARONI | FC

MIAMI | Chinese Tai Chi Fan dancers rhythmically flip crimson fans open and closed, kicking and weaving to music. A pan (steel drum) player rings out the sounds of Trinidad and Tobago in a Caribbean rendition of the “Ave Maria.” After the Jan. 11, 2026, Migration Mass at St. Mary Cathedral in Miami, attendees witnessed these performances and more, experiencing just how culturally diverse the Archdiocese of Miami is.

Ruben Vazquez, whose wife is a member of the archdiocesan Filipino Apostolate, found out about the Migration Mass while taking part in the Filipino Simbang Gabi Advent tradition at St. David Parish in Davie last December. The annual Migration Mass is in honor of the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, which technically occurred Jan. 4 this year. Epiphany commemorates the Three Kings’ journey to visit Baby Jesus. Just as the Three Kings traveled from abroad to find Christ, the Migration Mass highlights the Church as an international community.

“Epiphany, which means ‘manifestation or revelation,’ celebrates the fact that when Jesus was born as a man in Bethlehem, he came not just for one people but for all peoples, all races, of all times and places,” said Archbishop Thomas Wenski in his homily.

This year’s Migration Mass coincided with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, a feast Archbishop Wenski called “another Epiphany or revelation: for in going into the waters of the Jordan, God’s beloved Son wishes to show his solidarity with the entire human race.”

One of the concelebrants of the Mass was Haitian Bishop Pierre-André Dumas. The festivities involved the Brazilian, Burmese, Caribbean, Chinese, Filipino, Haitian, Indian, Korean, Nigerian, Polish and Vietnamese cultural groups. Father Jesus “Jets” Medina, director of Ministry to Non-Hispanic Cultural Groups, was central in making the event possible. Representatives from Catholic Legal Services, who serve South Florida’s immigrants, were also in attendance.

“Jesus, in calling us to communion with his Father through the gift of his Spirit, does not demand that we change our culture, our language, or even our nationality: he only asks that we change our hearts,” Archbishop Wenski said.

“It’s always good to see fellow Catholics from different cultures, and how we express our cultures mixed with faith,” said Kanayo Nomeh, a member of the Nigerian Apostolate from St. Monica Parish in Miami Gardens. “Our faith doesn’t impede our culture.”

Reflecting this reality, Migration Mass readings were in Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese and Igbo. Members of the Haitian and Indian Apostolates carried candles in the processional and recessional. The Chinese, Haitian, Korean and Filipino choirs accompanied the Mass in song. Father Reynold Brevil, the Haitian parochial vicar at the cathedral, even joined in on the drums as the Nigerian choir sang and played traditional instruments including the Udu (jug).

After Mass, the parish hall was lined with tables overflowing with food prepared by the various apostolates. Attendees could sample crunchy Vietnamese egg rolls, followed by South Korean noodles, washed down with spicy Ginger Beer from Trinidad and Tobago, just to name a few of the offerings.

“It’s good, when one leaves home, to connect with other cultures with the same faith,” said Ebele Ekweanya, a member of the Nigerian Apostolate who immigrated from Anambra. “It helps us believe we’re not alone.”

“In a way, just as we call Jesus the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, we can refer to him as the Migrant of Migrants as well,” Archbishop Wenski said. “In becoming a man like us, he ‘migrated’ from heaven. He became a citizen of our world so that we, in turn, might become citizens of the world to come.”