RALEIGH – The Diocese of Raleigh’s African Heritage Mass was celebrated Sunday, Aug. 24, at Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral. Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama presided, and Father Marcos León offered the homily.
This annual Mass honors the gifts of the African ancestry communities in the Diocese of Raleigh, including African American, Caribbean and African migrant Catholics. This year’s celebration reflected the community’s rich diversity, with national flags carried in the entrance procession by elders and founding families, and prayers and music offered in multiple languages such as French, Igbo, Kikongo, Lingala and Swahili.
“Can you feel the presence of our mother, Mary?” asked Vincentian Father Patrick Obot to a spirited audience that packed the Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Philadelphia’s East Germantown neighborhood Sunday, Aug. 17.
The Nigerian priest gave a passion-filled homily for the Mass of Blessing and Dedication of the Our Lady of Kibeho Shrine, now permanently set within a rosary walk in the courtyard outside the Basilica Shrine.