One Church, Many Cultures

The Church is becoming more diverse than ever before. Tina Mayeux shares how one parish is seeking to unite its members of various cultural backgrounds.

Where can you sample food and experience a bit of the culture of places such as Croatia, Brazil, the Philippines, and the countries of Africa, to name a few, all in one place? For the past two years, parishioners of Corpus Christi Parish in Mobile, Alabama, have enjoyed such a unique opportunity on their Feast Day — the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ — which was celebrated on Sunday, June 7 this year.  Father Pat Arensburg, pastor of the parish, reminded parishioners, "Our name, Corpus Christi, declares the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist that we receive each Sunday. It also reminds us of the Body of Christ that we are grafted onto in our Baptism."

Faith, Food, and Fellowship

As members of that Body of Christ, we are all tasked with building up the Church by fostering unity and fellowship. Nothing brings people together as food does, and hosting a multicultural festival like this one is a wonderful way to encourage this fellowship in a parish. Parishioners say they look forward to the event with anticipation, and it is quickly becoming a new tradition in the church community. Parishioner DJ Harvison says that the festival at Corpus Christi is "one of the most beautiful ways to not only introduce people to the different cultures and their foods, but also to see what cultures make up the Corpus Christi community."

The idea for an event dedicated to showcasing various ethnic foods and cultures of the parish came from a parishioner who suggested hosting an "international festival" similar to one she had heard about in a neighboring state. The Feast Day planning focused on an event that would showcase ethnic cuisine from around the world and also include activities for children so that every member of the family would have an opportunity to participate.

In 2025, the inaugural year of the event, Father Arensberg was instrumental in recruiting volunteers to cook and serve dishes from their respective countries. According to the parish's Communications Director Elizabeth Gelineau, the response was incredible, and many parishioners stepped up this year to contribute their time and culinary talent to the growing event. Festival participant Angel Pham expressed how much it meant for her family to share their Vietnamese culture with the parish: " For us, food is a vital part of our culture because it brings  people together, so being able to share that on the Feast of Corpus Christi made it even more special!” 

Diversity Is a Strength

We live in a more diverse, globally connected world than ever before. Within each of our Church communities, we find a microcosm of this growing multicultural society in which we live. In 2023, Archbishop Emeritus Thomas Rodi of Mobile issued a statement on the changing demographic makeup of the Church and our nation. He said that our challenge, as the Body of Christ, is to embrace the diversity of the Church in the 21st century. He declared that "the Holy Spirit turns diversity into a strength," rather than a source of division.

Corpus Christi's multicultural festival is just one way parishes can reach out to their members and invite them into a deeper experience of the love of Christ through community. As Catholics, we are encouraged to show love and acceptance to all and bring the gospel to everyone through our words and actions. Recent popes have reiterated the need for dialogue between peoples of different cultures and religions. Pope Leo XIV, speaking on the importance of intercultural relations, said:

Being men and women of dialogue means remaining deeply rooted in the Gospel and in the values that flow from it and, at the same time, cultivating openness, listening, and dialogue with those who come from other backgrounds, always placing the human person, human dignity, and our relational and communal nature at the center.

Just as in the gospels, Jesus went out to others, listened to them, and welcomed them, we are called to communion with our brothers and sisters in Christ, regardless of race, ethnicity, or cultural background. We may find ourselves at times harboring subtle prejudices and misunderstandings, as one CatholicMom.com contributor explains. Events like the multicultural festival can help eliminate misunderstanding and cultivate greater acceptance among different ethnic groups.

Being open to learning about other cultures can help us grow in love and understanding for our neighbor and make us more compassionate toward all. I experienced this personally when, after graduating from college, I had the opportunity to participate in a mission trip to Saltillo, Mexico with a group from the campus student center at my university. Meeting the wonderful people of Mexico and learning about their vibrant music, food, and way of life, along with their unique liturgical expressions, expanded my understanding of who we are as the Body of Christ and helped me become more aware of the universality of the Church.

From savoring authentic handmade tortillas cooked over an open fire to enjoying an evening fiesta, complete with a colorful piñata, the sights and sounds of Mexico are etched in my mind even three decades later. This incredible experience helped me to appreciate the beauty of ethnic diversity and how much we can gain from growing in our understanding of other cultures.

Unity in the Church

God did not create His people to be a sea of homogeneous faces with uniform traits, personalities, and customs. It is clear that He delights in the uniqueness of each of His children and wants us to love and respect one another. Not only does God desire us to build up and grow in community with one another, but He also calls us into communion as members of the Body of Christ. In the words of Father Arensburg, "He wants to gather you into the Church He set to establish, with all its beliefs and traditions, to build up unity while respecting the diversity of each person."

Events like the multicultural festival do just that — they gather together the members of the Church from all cultures and walks of life and foster a greater sense of oneness within the Body of Christ.

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Copyright 2026 Tina Mayeux
Images: copyright 2026 Elizabeth Gelineau, Communications Director, Corpus Christi Parish, Mobile, Al; used with permission, all rights reserved.