'Festival of Peoples' Mass celebrates Ireland's new ethnic mix

Last night's "Festival of Peoples" Mass was "a sign of the efforts of the Catholic Church in Dublin to treasure and celebrate the richness of our new ethnic mixture in Ireland", Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said in his homily. And it was a veritable, if entirely comprehensible, babel of language, song, even dance, music, and extravagant colour.

On the altar there seemed to be priests of every race, while certainly that was the case among the spill-over congregation, which included members of the diplomatic corps. Just as all humankind seemed represented so were all ages, from the elderly to loudly protesting children.

It began, and ended, with a procession of flags before the archbishop and priests. Leading the entrance procession were men bearing the three wise men, whose meeting with Jesus is commemorated on the Feast of the Epiphany every year. They were placed in the Pro-Cathedral crib.

In his homily Archbishop Martin remembered "with affection, at home as a child, how those curious figures of the three wise men were kept waiting, as it were, for 12 days on the fringes of our crib before they were finally introduced on this day to the newly born Jesus, bringing with them gifts".

The wise men last night were led by flags from India, Romania, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Nigeria, the Philippines, France, Brazil, and Ireland, with most flag bearers in national costume. Prayers of the Faithful were offered in Romanian, Latvian, Portuguese, French and Irish, as well as Indian, Chinese, and Ugandan languages. Earlier Archbishop Martin greeted everyone in each of those languages. Offertory gifts included a statue of Our Lady from Brazil, a fruit basket from the Philippines, traditional red wine and a table cloth from Romania, an icon of Our Lady from Poland, and a baguette from France. Marcin Malicki from Poland and Joseph Gritan from east Africa read the lessons in Polish and Swahili.

After Communion two Indian girls sang in that distinctive style reminiscent of the Beatles' latter-day encounters with the culture of that vast sub-continent. And there was spontaneous applause for the archbishop when he said: "No one group, whether based on class or ethnic origin or cultural affinity, can claim monopoly of the goods of God's creation or privilege in social life. The gifts of creation are for the good of all.

"I would hope that each of us can go away from this celebration rejoicing in our individuality and difference. Let me recall the beautiful words of Pope Benedict XVI at his inaugural Mass: 'Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary'. May that be the spirit which inspires our interaction with each other this evening and in the Ireland of the future."

Outside afterwards, a man remarked, "If they had the Indian girls taking part more often they'd never have a problem filling the Pro-Cathedral - you can quote me on that." He identified himself as Ken McCue of Sport Against Racism in Ireland.