Simbang Gabi novena unites cultures in diocese

Friday, Dec. 23, 2016

SALT LAKE CITY — Nine Simbang Gabi Masses were scheduled throughout the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City from Dec. 15 to Dec. 23.

The tradition of the Simbang Gabi novena dates back more than 400 years, when Franciscan friars in the Philippines provided Mass for the farmers before they went out for their daily chores. 

The nine Masses were intended to help the farmers prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas. Nowadays, the Simbang Gabi novena in the Salt Lake City diocese is celebrated in the early evening to accommodate those who work during the day, and due to the typically low seasonal temperatures in Utah.

During the Simbang Gabi novena, a Mass was held each night at a different location, with the first being held at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. The other eight Masses were celebrated by the pastor of each host parish.

The Misang Bayan Filipino Catholic Community organizes this novena every year.

On Dec. 18 the Simbang Gabi was celebrated at Saint Patrick Catholic Church in Salt Lake City, where a wide range of cultures united to celebrate the Filipino tradition.

Anglos, Hispanics, Tongans and Filipinos gathered to celebrate the tradition together. The evening started with a procession with the parols (star-shaped lanterns) that were placed on each side of the pews.

“As Filipinos we need to keep our traditions alive and passed on to the next generations. … Celebrating [the Simbang Gabi] is like keeping you at home,” said Alan Mendoza, a Saint Olaf parishioner and a member of the Misang Bayan Filipino Catholic community.

In the Philippines, the church bells and roving bands of drummers and trumpeters wake up the community, urging them to church for the 4 a.m. Simbang Gabi Mass each of the nine mornings before Christmas.

“It is a way of preparing yourself instead of getting lost in the Christmas shopping; it’s a real way of getting into the real spirit,” said Kathi Reroma, a Saint Thomas More parishioner and a member of the Filipino Choir. She arrived in Utah from the Philippines by herself some years ago.

Being by herself in Utah, celebrating the Simbang Gabi means a lot to Reroma.

“Especially with the holidays, being away from my family, it is nice to be celebrating the same traditions and having a Utah family,” she said, adding that, for her, the Simbang Gabi is waiting in joyful expectation for the coming of Christ.

Misang Bayan, the Filipino community of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, hosts six traditional events a year to share their cultural heritage with Catholics and the community at large to foster and keep the traditions of the Philippines alive in Utah.

Misang Bayan was formed 18 years ago so the Filipino community could meet for a monthly bilingual Mass in English and Tagalog, a language native to the Philippines. The Filipino Mass is celebrated at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Salt Lake City on the first Sunday of each month at 3:30 p.m. A potluck of traditional Filipino food follows.