A Very Special Multicultural Christmas Carol Service

On the 8^th December 2024, the Parish of the Holy Family in Aughrim Street hosted a very special Multicultural Christmas Carol Service where choirs of different Communities from all over the city came and sang in different languages.

The special guests of the evening were Bishop Paul Dempsey, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Dublin, and His Grace Archbishop Emeritus Diarmuid Martin. Different priests accompanied their choirs, and also different religious men and women were present in the church to share the joy of the carols.

Therese Carolan, the Chairperson of the Parish Pastoral Council, welcomed everybody at the beginning of the service, thanking all those who helped to prepare this event.

The musical part of the evening started with Teresa O’Donnell’s Irish carols accompanied by the harp. Once again, the beauty of the Irish music touched the heart of all.

The Italian Community choir brought us traditional carols from the Peninsula but also an amazing interpretation of Adeste Fideles in Latin.

The Romanian Greek-Catholic Community choir interpreted three traditional carols that are particularly loved by all generations, inviting us to open our doors to Christ, to believe in the Good News of Jesus Christ and to be all part spiritually of the Bethlehem atmosphere.

The Catholic Chinese Community choir brought us the special sounds of traditional Chinese harp, interpreting a very special Holy Night and sung about Jesus, the bright Star and the gaze of God.

The Vietnamese Community started with a traditional Christmas melody dance performed by very young members of the community, and brought us spiritually to the Bethlehem Grotto and shared with us the joy that Christmas is arriving.

The African Community was represented by a small choir, with amazing voices, who sang about the Holy Night, the Ding Dong of the Christmas night and Baby Jesus lying on the straw.

The Hispanic choir, joined by both religious sisters and lay women and men, presented traditional carols from different countries in a very dynamic and joyful way, speaking about the context of the Nativity of Christ, looking at the beauty of the moon and the joyful donkeys that witnessed to the Nativity.

The Polish Community amazed everyone with very young and enthusiastic choir accompanied by instruments and singing traditional carols about the birth of Jesus, the Star that is shining.

The Indian Syro-Malabar Community started with the hymn for Baby Jesus and sang about the visit of the Wise Men.

The Brazilian Community, as always, succeeded in making us all be part of their music in an extraordinary atmosphere of joy, singing about the arrival of Christmas, the new Dawn and the importance of Love. Everybody was standing, applauding and singing with them!

At the end, Fr. Cory, the Parish Administrator, thanked all that were involved in the preparation of the service, thanked the two special guests that were present, and invited everyone to join in to sing Silent Night and We Wish You A Merry Christmas. All the choirs came together and interpreted, not only the well-known two English carols, but also a very energetic Feliz Navidad!

Once again, the Multicultural Christmas Carol Service was a proof that when people come together announcing with joy their faith in Jesus Christ, celebrating His Nativity, it doesn’t matter the language that someone speaks or the cultural background, but what really matters is to feel the presence of God and to bring to others Hope, Joy and the real spirit of Christmas!

At the end of the Christmas Carol Service, refreshments were organised in Saint Joseph’s Hall with traditional food brought by the different Communities. It was a great opportunity to chat, to know each other, and to greet Bishop Paul Dempsey.

At the end of the Concert Bishop Paul Dempsey spoke about the event as a very vibrant and joyful one, remembered also  the families that are abroad and blessed everyone.