There is much to learn from and about the Filipino community worshipping at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Los Angeles.

“We see them at church, but we don’t quite know how large the Filipino community is here,” said Father Dat Tran, CSP, associate pastor at St. Paul.

And so, in the Paulist spirit of welcome and hospitality, Father Tran is helping to reestablish a Filipino Christmas tradition at St. Paul called Simbang Gabi.

A Simbang Gabi celebration will be held at St. Paul’s on Dec. 21 with Mass at 7 p.m. followed by festivities in the John Carroll Parish Center.

Simbang Gabi means “night worship,” and is traditionally a nine-day devotion of Masses in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary held. The Mass novena is popular in the Philippines and is held anticipation of Christmas. The Masses are usually held from Dec. 16-24 and celebrated as early as 4 a.m. The Christmas Eve Mass is called Misa de Gallo, or “Rooster’s Mass.”

The Simbang Gabi tradition began during Spanish rule over the Philippines, when priests would celebrate early morning Masses instead of evening liturgies for the farmers who would get to work early to beat the mid-day heat. This Christmas custom eventually became a distinct part of Catholic culture in the Philippines.

The Simbang Gabi tradition at St. Paul faded out, according to Father Tran, and so this year’s event restores that custom while offering much more.

“It is a way to get the [Filipinos] participating and involved in the parish community,” Father Tran said.

“We have different populations with different traditions coming to us in the Church,” continued Father Tran. “The Simbang Gabi is a way we are recognizing the shift in the people to whom we are ministering.”

This form of evangelization works both ways, Father Tran noted, as the Filipinos have more exposure to the American Church culture while other parishioners get to experience another aspect of their Catholic faith tradition.

“It becomes a dialogue between the cultures,” said Father Tran. “We are building bridges between cultures while celebrating our diversity.”