SAN DIEGO — A “field of dreams” with more than 1,800 faithful gathered for the diocese’s annual Pentecost Mass for All Peoples, celebrated by Bishop Michael Pham.
At the beginning of the liturgy, the bishop surveyed the packed stands at Cathedral Catholic High School on May 23 and compared what he saw to one of his favorite movies.
“People of all cultures gathered together like in a field of dreams, united in Christ at the altar,” he said. “It’s a glimpse of the heavenly kingdom we yearn for.”
The ninth annual Mass has become a tradition at the diocese since then Father Pham first organized it in 2018 as vicar for Ethnic and Intercultural Communities, under the leadership of then Bishop Robert W. McElroy.
More than 20 Catholic cultural communities came together that first year, with roots in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. They turned out for the 2026 edition, as well, processing into the high school’s gym wearing brightly colored traditional attire, as they had done since the beginning. Their number has grown over the years, now including Panamanians, Peruvians and others.
The Mass drew dozens of priests and deacons, as well as religious men and women from across the San Diego region. One busload of faithful arrived from Mission San Luis Rey Parish in Oceanside.
“On this day we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, the descending of the Holy Spirit,” Bishop Pham said in his opening remarks, “gathering us together as one people, as one family, one in Christ. We are being sent into the world to share the Good News.”
After the Mass, the faithful moved into the school grounds, where they lined up to pick up food samples from the participating cultural communities and to enjoy live music.
The diocese’s new Vicar for Ethnic and Intercultural Communities, Father Chris Bongato, opened this year’s Pentecost celebration. (The office’s previous leader, Auxiliary Bishop Ramón Bejarano, left in February to serve as bishop of Monterey.)
“Today, we celebrate in San Diego, how the Gospel has been secured in our hearts, has been sowed in our different backgrounds, our different cultures,” Father Bongato began. “And we see, although we may speak in different tongues, we come together to worship in our unity through Christ.
“I hope you see feet that move for Christ; voices that raise up to God; hearts that praise God; hands that have labored for Christ; and a community that entrusts itself also to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady, Mother of the Church, and holds her in great esteem.”
Father Bongato then made a request.
“In the honor that we show God, please also show respect for your neighbor, for the stranger who is your brother and sister in Christ. Our celebration is a small image of the Kingdom of God that is at hand.”
Three participating cultural communities shared their faith traditions before the Mass began.
Beth Glasco, a councilwoman from the Barona Band of Mission Indians, opened with a sacred Native American rite known as smudging. She gently fanned the smoke of burning white sage around the altar while praying for healing, protection and peace.
Birdsingers from the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians and Ra Christman accompanied her with birdsinging, an ancient tradition that preserves the community’s history, creation stories and migration journeys. Men sang while shaking gourd rattles and girls and women danced gracefully, their movements recalling the flight of birds.
Then followed a group of faithful pushing a stand bearing a statue of Mary, Mother of the Church. The statue represents the cultural communities present in the diocese, and honors the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose memorial is celebrated on the Monday after Pentecost every year.
Afterward, members of the Indian community shared a Syro-Malabar rite. They processed into the gym hoisting a beautiful golden and silver cross, known as Kurizhu, and 10 richly decorated and gilded umbrellas, known as Muthukuda.
The cross led as the sign of redemption, while the ceremonial umbrellas expressed reverence and celebration. Together they highlighted both the solemn and festive dimensions of the Syro-Malabar liturgical tradition, uniting faith, culture and identity.
They were followed by dancers from the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement-League of San Diego and the Unified Choir of the Vietnamese Catholic Community, who sang a Marian hymn.
The boys and girls, holding bouquets of red and white roses, shared a dance that expressed prayer through graceful movements, traditional áo dài and sacred music. The dance inspires unity with the Blessed Mary.
After those faith expressions, the Mass began with the entrance procession. Brothers from the Augustinian community entered first, holding a banner that highlighted Pope Leo XIV, a member of their order. Then came the representatives of more than 20 cultural communities, each led by a member hoisting a brightly colored banner with their name. They were followed by the diocese’s priests and deacons accompanying Bishop Pham.
As has become tradition, members of the communities participated in the liturgy. For instance, the Universal Prayer was proclaimed in Chinese, English, Igbo, Indian, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Korean, Laotian, Native American (Luiseño and Kupa), Peruvian, Portuguese, Samoan, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese.
Bishop Pham began his homily by recalling how the Pentecost Mass had started nine years ago, after then Bishop McElroy had tapped him to be the Vicar for Ethnic and Intercultural Communities.
“I believe it was a prompt from the Holy Spirit for me to go to Bishop McElroy and ask him to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost with the people of all cultures gathered together,” Bishop Pham said. “Just like the descending of the Holy Spirit brought all people together into Christ.”
The leaders of the cultural communities told him that gathering everyone was “going to be a tough task.”
“I said to them that the Holy Spirit can do it all.
“And here it is, the Holy Spirit is gathering us, after nine years,” he continued, as the Mass-goers applauded.
“This is our faith and our opportunity to witness the life of Jesus in our world today,” he said.
He noted that, in the day’s Gospel, when Jesus appeared to his disciples, the first thing he said to them was “Peace be with you.”
“The Holy Spirit is calling us to bring peace and justice to the world,” the bishop said. “That is our challenge.”
After the descent of the Holy Spirit, the bishop continued, people from many cultures came together and heard the Apostles in their own language.
“Why? It is because they were listening to one another from the heart. Love is the language of God.”
He said that, “as God has loved us, we are to love one another, to be united in Jesus.”
He noted that, while God’s people are diverse, they are unified by God’s love and called to love one another, to witness the love of Jesus in our world.
“Look at ourselves,” he continued. “All cultures, all ethnic groups, all languages, sitting together, united in Christ. That is love, unity and peace coming together. That is the energy that we need to (go) out into the world.”
After the Mass, the bishop thanked those who had made the celebration possible.
They included those who provided the musical accompaniment. The combined musicians and choir were directed by Joseph Advento, of Mater Dei High School and St. Rose of Lima Parish, and De Shon Hall, from Christ the King Parish.
He gave a special thank you to Noreen McInnes, the director of the Office for Liturgy and Spirituality, who will be retiring in June. She had tirelessly worked to prepare the Pentecost Mass since its inaugural year of 2018, integrating the faith traditions of the cultural communities into the liturgy. Some nine years later, the Mass-goers gave her a standing ovation.
And with that, they streamed out of the gym into the sunlight to feast on traditional dishes from the communities, amid the sweet sounds of their music.
The preceding story was updated May 29, 2026.
