AUZENNE: Celebrate the gifts of Asian and Pacific Islander Catholics in May

Catholics wear traditional attire of the Kachin Ethnic Group from Burma at the 2023 Asian Mass. (Photo by James Ramos/Herald)

In June 2018, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published “Encountering Christ in Harmony,” a pastoral letter addressing the gifts and challenges of Asian and Pacific Islander Catholics in the U.S. The bishops praise the ways in which Asian and Pacific Island Catholics have “infused” their faith with their unique cultures, histories and traditions. During Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, let us examine how three communities in particular have added to the spiritual riches of the Church:

The Vietnamese Catholic Community
The history of the Church in Vietnam is filled with stories of small Christian communities who held on to their faith despite social repression and government persecution. That tradition of faith in the face of persecution can be seen in the witness of our local Vietnamese Catholic community, whose parents and grandparents escaped Communist persecution on boats only to spend years in refugee camps and more years working to reunite their families, often in communities that did not welcome them. The tenacious faith of Vietnamese Catholics has gifted the Church with many martyrs and saints, such as St. Andrew Dung-Lac, and a beautiful devotion to the Blessed Mother under the title of Our Lady of Lavang. Another name may soon be added to this list: mystic, preacher and political prisoner Nguyen Cardinal Van Thuan, whose cause for sainthood was opened in 2007.

The Korean Catholic Community
Catholicism was brought to Korea by scholars who first encountered the Gospel by reading Chinese translations of European books. Thanks to the efforts of Korean diplomat-turned-evangelist Yi Seung-hun, a small, thriving community of Catholics was there to welcome European missionaries when they arrived from France in 1836. Soon after this promising beginning, Korean Catholics began to suffer persecution from rulers who saw their faith as a threat to the social and political order. Beginning in 1866, thousands of Korean Catholics were arrested, imprisoned and killed for their faith in Christ. The martyrs of Korea, including St. Andrew Kim Taegon, a 24-year-old Korean priest who died encouraging others to come to faith in Christ so that they too might be “happy after death.”

The Filipino Catholic Community
Another thriving Asian community in our local Church is the 50,000 Filipino Catholics who worship in parishes across the Archdiocese. Beginning in the 1950s, Filipino nurses and medical professionals began arriving in Houston, drawn by the need for healthcare workers. They brought with them a Catholic identity deeply rooted in the Eucharist and a devotion to “Mama Mary,” the Blessed Mother. They also brought beautiful devotions like the Misa de Gallo and Simbang Gabi that enrich our understanding of the liturgical seasons of Advent and Christmas. Just this month, a cause for sainthood has been opened for Nina Ruiz Abad, a 13 year-old Filipina girl. If canonized, she would join St. Lorenzo Ruiz to become the second recognized saint of the Philippines.

Our local Church is also home to at least four other Asian Catholic communities, including Burmese, Chinese, Indian and Indonesian Catholics, in addition to other small but faithful communities.

Although diverse in language and culture, the Catholics of Asia and the Pacific Islands share a common experience of growth through adversity. Isolated, persecuted and often without ordained clergy, these churches raised up saints and martyrs who stood against empires. May each of us take courage from their holy example to stand against the empires of our own day. 

Amy Auzenne is the director of the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis.