FROM OUR MINISTRY TEAM: Simbang Gabi

November 22, 2023

FROM OUR MINISTRY TEAM:
Simbang Gabi is coming to St. Joseph! Simbang Gabi is Filipino Advent tradition honoring the Blessed Mother. It is a novena, nine days of Mass, prayer and celebration anticipating the celebration of Christmas. Lily Elznic is a leader in the Catholic Church and the Filipino has fond childhood memories of celebrating Simbang Gabi growing up in the Philippines. She and her family, who lived about an hour outside of Manila, would head to church for Mass in the early hours of the morning — for nine days straight. "With all our friends in the neighborhood, we'd all go to the church," she said. "Along the way we'd watch the (Christmas) lights on the houses. After Mass, there would be a line on the street with food vendors — all of our favorite foods. Every morning it was a celebration."
Elznic, who came to the United States in the mid-1980s, wanted her children to experience the same tradition. While Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of the infant Jesus, Simbang Gabi is a time to honor the Blessed Mother. "This is celebrating the Mother of Jesus, because it all starts with her," Elznic said. "It is a novena for our Mother." Simbang Gabi, which means "Night Mass" in Filipino, is a novena — a nine-day series of Masses in anticipation of Christmas and to honor the Blessed Mother. The tradition has been celebrated by Filipino Catholics in the St. Louis area for decades. Novena prayers began in homes around the 1960s, and it became more formalized in the 1980s, with Masses being offered in church. The novena is organized by the Philippine Liturgical Society, which hosts several liturgical events in the Filipino tradition throughout the year. The tradition of Simbang Gabi traces back to the arrival of Spanish missionaries in the Philippines about 500 years ago. At the time, they had a tradition of celebrating pre-Christmas novena Masses in honor of the Annunciation. Those Masses were known as "Misa de Gallo" or "rooster Mass," because they were celebrated at dawn. The early Masses accommodated farmers, who often began work before sunrise to escape the heat in the fields. Pope Sixtus V later declared that Mass should be celebrated before sunrise to accommodate farmers during the harvest season. While the cultural aspect of the tradition is important, equally as important is the spiritual nature. Simbang Gabi is a testimony of the devotional life and deep faith of the Filipino Catholics.
This year, Simbang Gabi will be celebrated at St. Joseph Parish in English. The First Night is Thursday, Dec. 14th at 7:00 PM, with Mass celebrated by Bishop Rivituso. All Masses will be at 7:00 PM. On Saturday, Dec. 16th, the Mass will be held in the Parish Center. All other Simbang Gabi Masses will be in Church. The last Mass of Simbang Gabi will be celebrated by Archbishop Rozanski on Friday, Dec. 22nd at 7:00 PM. After the last Mass, there will be a feast featuring traditional foods, including a whole roasted pig, Filipino-style chicken adobo and empanadas, with time for fellowship and reflection on the meaning of the celebration.
"The Philippines is 85 percent Catholic," said Maria Ali Khan. "We revere the Blessed Mother. We pray the Rosary nightly, and every time we have a problem we pray to the Blessed Mother. She is the intercessor. The majority of Filipinos believe that."
But no matter the language, the place, or the time, this revered Filipino tradition is observed and celebrated. When you pray and attend Simbang Gabi, you realize how truly universal, significant and important the Christmas spirit is for every Christian. Simbang Gabi in its very essence provides a very strong indication of the depth of faith among the Filipino people.
The Catholic Church is a communion of cultures. We are one family of families, drawn from every nation, tribe, people and tongue. Our Intercultural community at St. Joseph is a prophetic sign of harmony and communion and it allows us as a people of God to affirm our Christian conviction about God as the Father of all.
Our goal is to encourage the inclusion and fuller participation of all God's people in the life and ministry of the Church by building up our Catholic identity in a spirit of unity in diversity.
All are encouraged to attend Simbang Gabi. How is your family preparing spiritually for the celebration of Christmas this year? What will make this years’ celebration of Christmas set apart from others? Please prayerfully consider participating in some or all of our Simbang Gabi. Let’s make this a new tradition at St. Joseph. A Christmas novena, nine evenings for preparing our hearts for Jesus’ coming. (Maria Ali Khan and Lily Elznic serve on the Philippine Liturgical Society for the Archdiocese of Saint Louis)

Greg Barker | Director of Intercultural Ministry, Adult Faith Formation, & Evangelization