A new generation embraces ‘Simbang Gabi’ in US
LOS ANGELES—The unmistakable fragrance of incense floating in the air, punctured by the sound of soaring Tagalog Christmas carols and the kaleidoscopic flickering from “parol” (Christmas lanterns) are enough to overload the senses.
But that is what most Filipino-Americans churchgoers saw, felt and heard last Monday night as they began the yearly “Simbang Gabi” tradition inside the historic Cathedral of the Our Lady of the Angels here to usher in the Christmas season in this part of America.
“Simbang Gabi is not only a celebration. It is a living tradition that connects us to our roots, strengthens our community and draws us closer to God,” said Leo Sales, the organizer of the nine-day Masses that draw much of the Filipino diaspora to Catholic churches around California at this time of the year.
Through tough times
Immigration raids on immigrant communities in the United States and the raging corruption scandal in their homeland have failed to dampen the religious fervor of Filipinos who have been observing this tradition for centuries, even bringing this to all corners of the world where they migrate.
“This just proves how strong our faith is, wherever we are in the world,” Consul General Adelio Cruz told this reporter before his family offered the bread and wine during the offertory of the Mass celebrated by LA Archbishop Jose H. Gomez and concelebrated by 34 Filipino priests from around Southern California.
This unique Simbang Gabi celebration here has been around ever since this iconic cathedral at the heart of LA opened to worshippers in 2002.
“This is our 23rd Simbang Gabi. And we are going strong, despite going through tough times during the pandemic in 2020,” said Noel Motus, president of the Filipino Ministry in the archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Motus, a retired hotel executive who hails from Kalibo, Aklan—home of the Ati-Atihan Festival—is being credited for adding a flair of pageantry to the Simbang Gabi with the “Parade of Parols,” the uniquely Filipino star-shaped lanterns symbolizing the star of Bethlehem that believers say led pilgrims to the manger where Jesus was born.
At the end of the Mass, churchgoers were also treated to an impromptu concert of traditional Christmas carols by a group of Filipino priests.
Some became misty-eyed when the San Pedro Choir from Long Beach, California, sang “Kumukutikutitap” by Ryan Cayabyab and “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan” by Lucio San Pedro and Levi Celerio. All three composers are national artists in the Philippines.
“Our Simbang Gabi has become a global event,” noted Fr. Joy Lawrence Santos, pastor of St. Genevieve church in Panorama City, as he saw in his Facebook feed that the St. Mary’s Church in Dubai was jampacked by at least 30,000 overseas Filipino workers during the Simbang Gabi Mass celebrated by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.
But nobody was more thrilled and inspired than new priest Fr. Joseph Cruz.
“I remember my mom and dad, aunts and uncles waking up early to go to church for the Simbang Gabi,” said Cruz, 56, who was ordained on May 31 by Archbishop Gomez.
He celebrated his first Simbang Gabi as a priest last Tuesday at the St. Mel Church in Woodland Hills, California.
But this cherished tradition started by Spanish friars during colonial times in the Philippines to attract the fealty and devotion of the farmers working the fields is going through a generational transition.
Motus, who turned 70 last Tuesday, is set to bring in new blood to keep this tradition running for years to come.
“I am a Simbang Gabi baby and proud of it,” Motus said.
They call this transition in leadership “from the first Noel to Leo the Fifteenth,” a wordplay on the popular Christmas song and the current American pope.
“With pride, we are ready to accept the challenge of preserving this tradition for our younger generation,” said Sales, 38, who works as a physical therapist in an LA hospital.
The torch is passed and this vibrant religious and cultural tradition is secured.
