Emmanuel Hosts Boston Catholic Ethnic Diversity Symposium
February 15, 2008
As part of the Archdiocese of Boston's Bicentennial celebration, Emmanuel sponsored the Boston Catholic Ethnic Diversity Symposium: The New Pentecost on Saturday, February 9th. The event was a daylong convention featuring three panel discussions, a keynote address and a multicultural Liturgy focusing on the racial and ethnic diversity within the Archdiocese.
Associate Professor of History William Leonard co-chaired the subcommittee for organizing the symposium along with Agnes K. Lugira, one of the day's featured lecturers.
Ethnic diversity has long played an important part in the history of the Archdiocese of Boston, which experienced exceptional growth in the late 19th century due to the influx of immigrants. According to the Archdiocese's Bicentennial website, www.boston200.org, ethnic parishes were established not as a means of creating "separate places of worship based on culture, but rather, to accommodate different language needs." Today, the Archdiocese of Boston serves approximately two million Catholics in 295 parishes, with mass being celebrated in nearly 20 different languages each week.
During the symposium, the panels explored the history, theology and Liturgical practices of Catholics viewed from the perspective of various groups, including Africans, African-Americans, Asians, Haitians and Hispanics.
Speakers included: Peter Chan, Jose Leonarte, Nekita Lamour, Rev. Bienvenue Mayemba, Sr. Joanna Okereke, H.H.C.J, Aloysius M.M. Lugira, Hosffman Ospino, Agnes K. Lugira and M. Shawn Copeland. Sr. Jamie Phelps. OP., Ph.D. and Jonathan Tan, Ph.D. provided the keynote address and response, respectively.