Saying Holy Masses should only be celebrated in sacred places of worship, New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan disap­proved the holding of Simbang Gabi Masses at the Philippine Consulate General in New York, a practice done in the last 25 years. According to the “Filipino Re­porter,” Dolan wrote to Father Joseph Marabe, moderator of the Filipino Apostolate of the Archdiocese of New York, on Oct. 12 about this concern.

Dolan reportedly asked Marabe to “politely” tell Consul General Mario de Leon Jr. that “the arch­ diocese does not approve of hav­ing Masses for the Filipino Catho­lic Community being celebrated outside a sacred worship place.” Last Nov. 16— a day after he received correspondence from Marabe— De Leon informed the Filipino community about the Archbishop’s instructions, which reportedly came as “a shock to ev­eryone” as preliminary work with sponsors was already under way. R e a c t i o n s The report said the idea of not holding Simbang Gabi Masses at the Philippine Center “does not sit well with many in the community.”

A Filipino priest in the area, who asked not to be named, told Filipino Reporter that he doesn’t “see any need to stop” Simbang Gabi at the Center because “it’s not something that’s done on ordinary days.” He added that the 25-year­old activity has drawn Filipi­nos from other states, who flock to the Center because it is actually a Philippine territory. “[They] get a sense of satisfac­tion that they are actually attend­ing Simbang Gabi in the Phil­ippines,” he said. “It’s about the Filipino ambiance and the warm camaraderie in the place.” Community leaders—who asked to remain anonymous in the re­port—said stopping the tradi­tion is “heartbreaking,” but they are working their way through it. “We’re very passionate about it and we’re looking at ways on how we can still continue the tradition without defying the Archdiocese,” said one of them. Simbang Gabi According to Canon Law, the Eu­charistic celebration must be held “in a sacred place unless a partic­ular necessity requires otherwise.” Licensed canonist Cathy Caridi wrote it is logical that “if a Catho­lic church is readily available, under normal circumstances it is difficult at best to justify the celebration of Mass elsewhere.”

The Filipino Reporter said the Phil­ippine Center “is five blocks away fromSt. Patrick’sCathedral,”where Marabe is a priest in residence. The report added that Marabe is “the moving spirit of ‘Sim-bang Gabi’ at St. Patrick’s,” where attendance was reportedly “sparse” because Filipinos there find it “far more convenient to flock at the Philippine Center.” The “Simbang Gabi” is a Fili­pino tradition where the faith­ful attend dawn Masses on the nine consecutive days leading to December 25, the celebra­tion of the birth of Jesus Christ. The Philippine Center first cel­ebrated the dawn Masses in 1986 through the initiative of commu­nity leader Loudette Avelino. (VVP, GMA )

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