ARTICLES
December 2002 ARTICLES
Contents © 2002
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.
Ethnic Christmas
Where to Go in Los Angeles
By Charles A. Coulombe
Surely one of the greatest pleasures of living in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is its ethnic and cultural diversity. Never does this richness seem as obvious as at the major feasts of the Church year. Advent and Christmas, in particular, seem to bring out the best in each of our Catholic cultural enclaves, as age-old traditions are carefully performed in the midst of a secular, post-Protestant "holiday" season.
The mother church of the archdiocese, La Placita (Our Lady Queen of Angels on the old plaza downtown, adjacent to Olvera Street -- not to be confused with the cathedral of similar name) is gearing up for the annual posadas, an observance which re-enacts the search of the Holy Family for lodging in Bethlehem. Commencing at 6:30 p.m., December 16-24, las posadas will be performed in and around the church, its yard, and the plaza. There will be a Spanish midnight Mass (Misa de Gallo) on Christmas Eve. Another important feast, however, is that of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Queen of Mexico and Empress of the Americas. Starting on December 3, a novena in her honor will be held in connection with the 6:30 p.m. Mass, each night, as well as a Misa de Gallo on December 12, the actual feast. On that date, Masses and celebrations will continue all day. The exact schedule was not certain at the time of writing, so for further information, call the church at (213) 629-3101.
Given the large Mexican and Mexican-American population of the archdiocese, both the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and las posadas are, of course, celebrated in many other parishes scattered throughout the area. St. Andrew's, at 311 N. Raymond Ave. in Pasadena (626-792-4193), will offer a novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe and a rosary after the 6:45 p.m. Spanish Mass, every night from December 3-12; las posadas will take place from December 17-24, after the same Mass. In preparation for Christmas, there will be confession every day starting on Monday, December 17, until Tuesday, December 24; on December 23 there will be a penance service with 12-14 priests available. The Knights of Columbus at Saints Peter and Paul, Wilmington, will supervise las posadas from December 16-24. It is advised to call for times (310-834-5215).
Our Lady of Bright Mount Polish parish, at 3424 W. Adams Boulevard in Los Angeles, has scheduled a traditional Polish Christmas pageant on Saturday, December 20, at 11 a.m. There will be two Masses in Polish on Christmas Eve, at 10 p.m. and midnight. On the first Sunday in January the parish will host a Christmas dinner at about 1:15 p.m. At all these events some of the more than 300 Polish Christmas carols will be sung. A particularly beloved custom from the homeland, the blessing and distribution of Oplatek, a large host-like wafer, will also take place at each of these events. Each attendee will receive, break, and share one of these with his neighbors in token of the mutual charity, which should reign among Catholics. For information, call (323) 734-5249.
At St. Columban's Filipino parish (125 S. Loma Drive, Los Angeles, 213-250-8818), the special Sinban Gambi Masses, Tagalog liturgies with special prayers and hymns of the season, will be held each night at 7 p.m., from December 16-20. Midnight Mass, mostly in English but with Tagalog carols, will be held on Christmas Eve. Since the Filipino community has expanded greatly, however, other parishes will also host Sinban Gambi Masses. For example, St. Andrew's, Pasadena, will do so at 8 p.m. on December 21, and Blessed Sacrament, Hollywood will follow suit the following evening at 5:30 p.m.
Given the wide linguistic diversity of many of our multi-ethnic parishes, a number of these are featuring midnight Masses, with varying amounts of Latin prayers and chants in order to accommodate the greatest variety of worshippers. Among these are St. Andrew's and Saints Peter and Paul (which church will also feature English, Spanish, and Tagalog at points in the liturgy).
St. Casimir's Lithuanian parish, at 2718 Saint George Street in Silverlake, will feature a 7:30 p.m. Mass on Christmas Eve, followed by midnight Mass in Lithuanian. Christmas Day will feature English Masses at 8 and 9 a.m., and 12:30 p.m.; a Lithuanian Mass will be offered at 10:30 a.m. Call (323) 664-4660 for more information.
Enormous as are the varieties in the Latin Rite, however, the Eastern Rites offer even more variety. Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon Maronite cathedral (San Vicente and Burton Way, Los Angeles, 310-275-6634) will feature a novena to Christ in Arabic and English from December 15-24 at 7:30 p.m. Hailing from Lebanon, the Maronites see the nine days of this service as symbolizing the months Our Lord spent in His Mother's womb. Christmas will find them celebrating a midnight Liturgy in Aramaic and Arabic.
The Ruthenian Catholic Cathedral of St. Mary in Van Nuys, in keeping with the Byzantine Rite, will begin a Lent-like observance, the Fast of St. Philip, on November 15. At 7:30 p.m., on Christmas Eve, Ruthenian carols will be sung; at 8 p.m., they will offer compline and the Divine Liturgy for Christmas. On January 6, the Theophany (as the Epiphany is known in the East and which commemorates the Baptism of Christ) will be celebrated with Divine Liturgy at 7:30 p.m. In connection with this feast, the priest will bless Theophany Water, which he will distribute for home blessings, and, with which, he will bless the church building itself. For more information, call (818) 907-5511.
At. St. Anne's Melkite Catholic Church in North Hollywood, parishioners will be asked to abstain from meat every Wednesday and Friday, starting December 10. On Christmas Eve, they will likewise abstain all day and fast until noon. Compline will start at 11 p.m., followed by the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom at midnight, ending about 1:30 a.m. On Christmas day itself, Matins will be offered at 9:30 a.m.. After the hour-long service, the Divine Liturgy will commence. On Sunday, January 5, the Divine Liturgy will begin at 10:30 a.m., at which time water will be blessed for the feast of the Theophany on the following day. On the feast of the Theophany itself, the liturgy will be offered at 8:30 a.m. Call (818) 761-2034 for more information.