Bilingual services give parishes an ethnic flavor

At St. Michael's Church in Cohoes, those attending 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass hear such Polish phrases as "Niech bedzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus" (Blessed be the name of Jesus Christ), "Cilo Chrystuso and "Krew Chrystuso (the Body of Christ and the Blood of Christ, respectively).

Worshippers at St. Mary's Church in Stuyvesant, on the other hand, stand and listen as "Lectura del Santo Evangelio segun San Mateo" (a reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew) is recited in Spanish during noon Sunday Mass.

Those are just two of the numerous churches in the Albany Diocese that offer a weekly or monthly Sunday Mass in a language besides English. In many cases, the Mass is celebrated entirely in that language, including the Scripture readings, homily and hymns; other parishes offer a Mass in which both English and another language are used.

Heritage

For the priests who celebrate these liturgies, the experience is rewarding, for it enables them to bring parishioners closer to their cultural heritage and to strengthen their ethnic identity within the Church.

St. Anthony's Church in Schenectady, for example, offers a 7:30 a.m. Mass each Sunday that combines Italian and English, according to Rev. John Medwid, pastor.

"At least it gives Mass that flavor, and I think it's important to the people," he told The Evangelist. "It keeps them connected to their roots."

The Mass was celebrated entirely in Italian at one time, but English has gradually been incorporated, Father Medwid pointed out. That probably brings out more people who don't speak Italian and might otherwise not attend such an early Mass, he said.

Taste of Italy

Rev. Anthony DeFranco, pastor emeritus, has heard individual confessions in Italian, and the parish accommodates those requesting Italian baptisms or weddings by including Italian songs during the ceremony. In addition, there is a procession and Benediction featuring Italian songs at the conclusion of St. Anthony's annual Festa in June.

Italian is spoken not only in church, but also in St. Anthony's School, where Sister Maria Rose Querini, MPV, pastoral associate, teaches students the language.

Although he is Ukrainian and Polish, not Italian, Father Medwid grew up in St. Stanislaus Church in Amsterdam, which catered to its predominantly Polish congregation by offering Mass in that language. In addition, he served at St. Patrick's Church in Catskill, which has a large Irish population. Through those experiences, Father Medwid has come to realize the diversity of various cultures in the Diocese and to regard their traditions very highly.

"I can appreciate the importance of a person's or a parish's ethnic background," he said. "That's given me great respect for a culture's ethnic traditions."

Touch of Poland

At St. Michael's in Cohoes, Mass has been offered in Polish since the founding of the parish in 1904, according to Rev. Richard Dybas, pastor. Even when Mass was celebrated in Latin, the homily would be given in Polish, he pointed out. During his years as assistant pastor in the 1960s, two Masses were celebrated in Polish, but there is currently just one Mass on Sunday, during which he gives a homily in both Polish and English.

A Polish choir leads the congregation in song during Masses from September to June. Attendance is steady, with increases around Christmas and Easter, and many churchgoers need not speak Polish to appreciate the music, Father Dybas noted, saying: "They don't even understand Polish, but they like the way the choir sings."

During Lent, St. Michael's offers "Gorskie Zale," or Polish lamentations on the passion and death of Jesus, after the Polish Mass each Sunday. Most confessions during Lent and Easter are in Polish, and Father Dybas also will perform baptisms, weddings and funerals in Polish, though he recommends that English be used instead so that more people in attendance can actively participate.

Age of interest

The congregation at the Polish Mass includes a mix of seniors, some of whom are children or grandchildren of the parish founders; middle-aged parishioners who were born around the time of World War II; and younger people born during and after the more recent Solidarity movement in Poland.

Father Dybas enjoys celebrating Mass in Polish because it's the language he grew up with, and he has grown quite fond of the cultural aspects of the liturgy.

"I find it's a challenge," he said of his work in another language, "but it's one that I enjoy doing. "I find great pleasure, and I love the music and the singing and the Polish traditions that go along with it."

Hint of Korea

Koreans have an opportunity to worship in their native language at St. Francis de Sales Church in West Albany, where Rev. Pius Bio Jung celebrates the Korean Catholic Community Mass at 10 a.m. each Sunday.

The Korean Mass was introduced about four years ago, according to Rev. David Noone, pastor. Before Father Jung's arrival a little more than a year ago, Father Noone and other priests took turns celebrating the Mass. Father Noone would recite the Eucharistic prayer and homily in English, but the Scripture readings would be in Korean.

"I knew they understood me," he said. "It's just that they want the Korean experience."

Quiet moments

With Father Jung as celebrant, the Mass is celebrated entirely in Korean, and the music used during the liturgy reflects "a very quiet spirituality" that Koreans possess, Father Noone said.

About 50 people attend the Korean Mass each Sunday, with several students from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University at Albany in the mix. Churchgoers socialize after Mass, and they organize an Easter dinner each year. "They're very bonded by their culture," Father Noone said.

Spanish spoken here

At St. Mary's in Stuyvesant, a Spanish Mass is celebrated by Rev. Joseph Falletta, pastor, each Sunday at noon. He began the tradition in 1994 and was already quite familiar with the language, having first spoken Spanish in 1983 while working in Chile and later serving as director of the Hispanic Apostolate for the Diocese.

The Spanish Mass draws about 30 people during the winter months and close to 80 people in the summer. Many churchgoers are Hispanics who reside in such cities as Hudson or Catskill, while others are seasonal workers from Mexico, the country from which Father Falletta recently returned after a three-month sabbatical.

Although no English is spoken during the Spanish Mass, St. Mary's does offer bilingual Masses for Christmas Eve and Holy Week, enabling Father Falletta "to be a bridge between the two cultures."

Learning experienceBY celebrating the Spanish Mass each Sunday, Father Falletta has come to appreciate the diversity within Hispanic culture. "It's really rewarding for me, trying to understand the culture," he said. "There are different cultures, even though they all speak Spanish."

Other sacraments are celebrated in Spanish at St. Mary's as well, and the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, on Dec. 12 is of particular significance.

As for the future of the Spanish Mass, Father Falletta hopes that it will continue at St. Mary's and will also spread to other parishes as the number of Hispanics increases in the Diocese.

"I see it as a culture and language that's on the upswing," he said.

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