Asian and Pacific Island News & Events

Events in 2018

December 2018 - Many archdioceses and dioceses celebrate Simbang Gabi, a Filipino tradition of Novena Masses (nine consecutive days) celebrated in parishes across the country leading up to Christmas. It is "a privileged votive mass, i.e., a mass that does not correspond to the liturgical calendar but has a special intention" said Philippines Church historian Fr. Rex Andrew Alarcon. Watch the Archdiocese of Washington's video explaining what Simbang Gabi is and check back for a list of Simbang Gabi celebrations from various arch/dioceses.

• Archdiocese of Anchorage Simbang Gabi Masses
• Archdiocese of Baltimore Simbang Gabi Masses
• Archdiocese of Chicago Simbang Gabi Masses
• Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Simbang Gabi Masses
• Archdiocese of Los Angeles Simbang Gabi Mass
• Archdiocese of Louisville Simbang Gabi Mass
• Archdiocese of Miami Simbang Gabi Masses
• Archdiocese of Philadelphia Simbang Gabi Masses
• Archdiocese of San Francisco Simbang Gabi Masses
• Archdiocese of Seattle Simbang Gabi Masses
• Archdiocese of Washington Simbang Gabi Masses
• Diocese of Arlington Simbang Gabi Masses
• Diocese of Paterson Simbang Gabi Masses
• Diocese of Richmond Simbang Gabi Masses
• Diocese of San Diego Simbang Gabi Masses
• Diocese of St. Augustine Simbang Gabi Masses

Events in 2019

February 2-5, 2019 - The Catholic Social Ministry Gathering (CSMG) will be held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. The theme of event is Let Justice Flow (cf. Amos 5:24): A Call to Restore and Reconcile. In conjunction with the CSMG, the Diversity Outreach Initiative (DOI) will take place. The DOI seeks to develop leaders from diverse Catholic communities for ministry in the Church. For more information and to register for the event, please visit the website.

February 3, 2019 - A community workshop titled New Faces in Need of Justice: Advocacy with Asian and Pacific Island (API) Catholics, will have as speakers: Fr. Simon Kim, Corinne Monogue, Janet Basilan, and Sr. Myrna Tordillo, mscs. The workshop will be held during the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering (CSMG) at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC.

February 5, 2019 - 新年/Chinese New Year (豬年/Year of the Pig)

February 5, 2019 - Vietnamese Tết (New Year)

February 13-16, 2019 - The Mid-Atlantic Congress (MAC) will be held at the Hilton Baltimore Hotel in Baltimore, MD. For more information and to register for the event, please visit the website.

February 13-15, 2019 - The Building Intercultural Competence for Ministers (BICM) training during MAC will be held at the Hilton Baltimore hotel in Baltimore, MD. For more information and to register for the event, please visit the website.

February 16, 2019 - The Asian and Pacific Island (API) Day at MAC will be held at the Hilton Baltimore Hotel in Baltimore, MD. The theme for the event is Encountering Christ in Harmony: Disciples in Mission which will feature a number of guest speakers, including: Most Rev. Oscar A. Solis, D.D., Most Rev. Thanh Thai Nguyen, Msgr. Joseph Trinh, Fr. Ricky Manalo, CSP, Fr. Linh Hoang, Corinne Monogue, and Dr. Jem Sullivan. To register, please see the registration form. Limited scholarships are available; to apply for a scholarship, please see the scholarship application.

May 2018 - Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Ongoing Events

Ongoing - Shalom World hosts a number of events periodically across the country. Check the website for dates and locations.

News

Read news pertaining to the Asian and Pacific Islander community. For more news, check out the e-newsletter archive, USCCB news releases, and the Catholic News Service (CNS) website.

Encountering Christ in Harmony: A Pastoral Response to Our Asian and Pacific Island Brothers and Sisters

• July 6, 2018 - Read the news release announcing the full text of Encountering Christ in Harmony: A Pastoral Response to Our Asian and Pacific Island Brothers and Sisters.
• June 14, 2018 - Read Dennis Sadowski's (CNS) article about the U.S. bishops' approval of Encountering Christ in Harmony during their Spring General Assembly.
• June 13-14, 2018 - Watch the Spring General Assembly on-demand video to see Bishop Solis' presentation about Encountering Christ in Harmony to the body of bishops.
• May 11, 2018 - Read the news release about the U.S. bishops discussing and voting on Encountering Christ in Harmony during the Spring General Assembly.

Ordination of Asian and Pacific Island Priests in the U.S.

• June 5, 2018 - Read Mark Pattison's (CNS) article about the ordination of first U.S.-born Syro-Malabar priest.
• June 4, 2018 - Read Dave Hrbacek, Matthew Davis and Maria Wiering's (CNS) article about the ordination of first U.S.-born Hmong-American priest.

Response to Natural Disasters in Asian & Pacific Island countries

• October 2018 - Read the news release about Cardinal Daniel DiNardo's, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops letter of solidarity to Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, Archbishop of Jakarta in light of the recent earthquakes and tsunami in Indonesia.
• October 2018 - Read the news updates by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and help donate to their efforts in response to the earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia.
• August 2018 - Read the news release by CRS and help donate to the relief efforts in response to the historic flooding in Kerala, India.

Papal Visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh November 27-December 2, 2017

• December 1, 2017 - Defend God's image by defending the Rohingya, pope urges by Cindy Wooden
• November 28, 2017 - Respect the rights of all groups, pope tells Myanmar's leaders by Cindy Wooden
• November 27, 2017 - Update: Pope meets generals after brief welcome by children in Myanmar by Cindy Wooden

National Assembly of Filipino Priests November 7-10, 2017

• November 27, 2017 - Filipino priests called to walk with fellow immigrant Catholics by James Ramos

News Releases

• January 23, 2018 - Pope Francis Accepts Resignation of Bishop Stephen Blaire of Stockton; Names Auxiliary Bishop Myron Cotta as Successor
• October 6, 2017 - Pope Francis Names Fr. Thanh Thai Nguyen as New Auxiliary Bishop of Orange, CA
• August 5, 2017 - New Bishop of Syro-Malankara Eparchy of St. Mary Queen of Peace of the U.S. and Canada is Named; First Bishop of New Eparchy in Parassala, India also Named
• January 10, 2017 - Pope Francis Names Auxiliary Bishop Oscar A. Solis, Chairman of the Subcommittee for Asian & Pacific Island Affairs, Bishop of Salt Lake City, UT

Annual Asian and Pacific Island Catholics Marian Pilgrimage

• May 5, 2018 - Read Rhina Guidos' (CNS) article about the 16th Annual Asian and Pacific Island Catholics Marian Pilgrimage.
• May 6, 2017 - Read Cardinal Wuerl's homily and view pictures from the 15th Annual Asian and Pacific Island Catholics Marian Pilgrimage.

Past Events

November 11, 2018 - Subcommittee on Asian & Pacific Island Affairs meeting was held in Baltimore, MD.

November 10, 2018 - The Filipino Council of the Archdiocese of Baltimore's (FC-AOB) 3rd Faith and Leadership Assembly for Renewal and Empowerment (FLARE III) was held at St. John the Evangelist Church's parish center in Hydes, MD. The overall theme was The Role of Filipino Leaders: Our Faith Expressed, Our Faith Engaged. The keynote speakers were Most Rev. Oscar A. Solis, D.D. and Fr. John Hurley.

October 20, 2018 - The 2nd Marian Rosary Congress and Pilgrimage on the Occasion of the 1st Anniversary of the Dedication of the Rosary Walk & Garden was held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. Most Rev. Mario Dorsonville, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, was the celebrant and homilist. Fr. Wade Menezes, CPM, Fathers of Mercy Assistant General was the guest speaker.

October 14, 2018 - The Archdiocese of San Francisco's Filipino Ministry Consultative Board's 8th Filipino Ministry Annual Gala was held at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco, CA.

September 29 - October 9, 2018 - The 26th International Week of Prayer and Fasting was held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. Guest speakers included Fr. Francis J. Peffley, Colleen Willard, and Ted Flynn.

September 30, 2018 - The Filipino Council of the Archdiocese of Baltimore's 8th Archdiocesan Filipino Saints Fiesta Celebration honoring San Lorenzo Ruiz and San Pedro Calungsod was held at Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore, MD. Most Rev. William E. Lori was the main celebrant. The Triduum was held on September 25-27, 2018 prior to the fiesta.

September 30, 2018 - The Archdiocese of Chicago's Asian Catholic Initiative's 2nd Asian Community Mass was held at St. Celestine Catholic Church in Elmwood Park, IL. His Eminence Cardinal Blase Cupich was the main celebrant and a potluck reception followed immediately after the Mass.

September 28, 2018 - The Archdiocese of Washington's Mass in honor of San Lorenzo Ruiz's feast day was held at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Kensington, MD. A reception followed the Mass. 

September 16, 2018 - The Archdiocese of Milwaukee's Asian Pacific Unity Day was held at the Cousins Center in Milwaukee, WI. Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki was the main celebrant and a festive dinner followed.

September 15, 2018 - The Diocese of Arlington's Filipino Ministry of Northern Virginia's Mass in honor of San Lorenzo Ruiz's feast day was held at St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Springfield, VA.

September 8, 2018 - The Indian American Catholic Association's (IACA) 21st Annual Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Good Health was held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. The main celebrant was Most Reverend Roy E. Campbell, Jr., Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington.

August 31-September 2, 2018 - The National Conference of Burmese-American Catholics' (NCBAC) 9th Annual Gathering was held at the W.K. Kellogg Auditorium in Battle Creek, MI.

August 25-26, 2018 - The 2018 Korean American Catholics' National Charismatic Conference washeld at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center in Redondo Beach, CA.

August 3-5, 2018 - The 2018 Hmong American National Catholic Association (HANCA) Leadership Training was held at St. Anthony Retreat Center in Marathon, WI.

July 27-29, 2018 - The 5th Annual Gathering of the Karenni-American Catholic Association was held in Phoenix, AZ.

June 23, 2018- The 21st Annual National Filipino Pilgrimage in honor of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage was held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. Most Reverend Francisco M. de Leon, D.D., fourth bishop of Antipolo, was the main celebrant.

June 22, 2018 - The Diocese of Arlington's Mass for Multicultural Ministries was held at St. Neumann's Catholic Church in Reston, VA. Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge was the principal celebrant and homilist.

June 12, 2018 - Subcommittee on Asian & Pacific Island Affairs meeting was held in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

May 24, 2018 - Day of Prayer for the Church in China. The Archdiocese of Washington's Day of Prayer for the Church in China celebration was held at St. Mary's Parish Hall in Rockville, MD.

May 5, 2018 - The 16th Annual Asian and Pacific Island Catholics Marian Pilgrimage was held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. This annual event brought together many Asian and Pacific Islander Catholic communities to celebrate their heritage and Marian devotions. Most Reverend Oscar A. Solis, bishop of Salt Lake City and chairman of the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Island Affairs, was the main celebrant and homilist.