It was “International Night” in our church ten days ago, People of all ages and all colours of skin poured in from the five o clock m ass to the church social hall. More came in through the doors from outside. Those were coming from home. The sounds of voices of different accents, greeting one another, promised a lively evening. There were babies in their cribs fast asleep in spite of the noise. toddlers and pre-schoolers running around in bunches with older ones chasing them. Teens, who were members of the youth group, were busy helping prepare the tables and bringing in food from the enormous kitchen. It was indeed a family night. Some members of the church were in costumes from their countries of origin while most were in casuals, still in sweaters and jackets because of the cold wind outside.
Appetizing aromas of food filled the air. The food booths surrounded the hall with the flags of the countries of origin tucked against the wall. Such a wide variety to choose from; chicken tandoori, chicken jerky, chicken adobo, fried chicken, curried chicken and many more I could not identify. There were all kinds of savories with different fillings, shapes and sizes. “lumpiang Shanghai” spring rolls, empanada, samoza, blintzes and crepes. An array of salads lent colour to the tables – fruit salads, leaf greens, bean salads and seafood mixtures. There were several kinds of noodles – Chinese noodles with pork, shrimps and vegetables, the Filipino “pancit”, and several pastas with sauce and cheese. And the desserts! Cookies of all kinds, shapes and sizes, German waffles with strawberries and cream, rice cakes and cassava pudding. I am sure I missed some of the dishes. There were booths I was not able to reach.
The food was brought by the parishioners. It was a potluck. Those who attended chipped in ten dollars each for the fundraising of the parish for a Middle Eastern family our church sponsored to come to Canada, and for other projects.
One of the organizers got up the stage and introduced our pastor; a kindly soft spoken leader whom even the children can approach. He welcomed his parishioners warmly and led the group in a prayer blessing the food we were about to partake.
The program that followed the dinner bespoke of the nature of the congregation. It included folksongs from China, an Irish dance complete with colourful costumes, a very lively East Indian dance with young and not-so-young members of the group participating, a musical number by the youth group, a very graceful and charming belly dancer (who did not expose her belly), three sweet ladies singing “The Rose”, a gentleman who played some very popular tunes on the piano and recited a beautiful poem that I would love to learn and last but not least, line dancing by “mostly seniors” of the parish.
It was a program that sustained the attention of the audience because of its variety, participation of several generations and display of various cultures. The event that lasted for about four hours did not break until the end. The group of kids who gathered around the huge stage did not distract the performances. They were also held enchanted by each number.
It was a family affair, a family of more than two hundred who came from different parts of the world and settled in this corner of Canada. They were drawn together under this roof by their common belief in one God, the Father of all men and women in this planet. They do not look at its other’s colours, shapes of eyes or way of speaking. They share their food, music, literature and other things they love with one another.
This is the spirit of multiculturalism that unites people of all races. We bring together all that are good in our cultures and share them. We help one another in times of need. We practice together what our faith teaches.
But this phenomenon does not just happen. It needs leadership to draw people together. It needs compassion, patience and understanding. It calls for that kind of leadership that is forgiving, willing to overlook weaknesses and encourage strengths and talents.
Multiculturalism in Canada has not really, fully flourished. Each ethnocultural group showcases its culture most of the time to its own members. The appreciation of other groups is not often demonstrated. In fact, at times the differences in cultures serve to divide, rather than bring people together.
Differences in traditions sometimes become the basis for discrimination, of making people feel they do not belong or being lower in category. The ethnocultural events in summer are often attended mostly by the same ethnocultural groups that host the affair.
The church appears to be an ideal place to promote multiculturalism. With the proper leadership, people of diverse backgrounds come together. The varied talents find a place in the many different activities of the church. Again, this will need careful creative planning and organization with the leaders of the church and the lay community.
There is also a need for appreciation of the great responsibilities of the church leaders in bringing parishioners together and maintaining the multifarious activities, from the church, rituals, to attending to the needs of the sick, providing solace to relatives of the deceased, encouraging and attending social activities, securing financing and guarding wise expenditures of the same, becoming a referee when there are differences and remaining an unbiased counselor for individuals and organization, Our pastor in our church fits well into all these responsibilities. I often wonder if he finds time for himself.
