Simbang Gabi Abroad - Our Faith and Our Music
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In an interesting twist, in New Zealand, Simbang Gabi is celebrated in the evenings.
The Filipino’s love of music is legendary. We turn to it for solace, for celebration and simply as an everyday companion. To many, its ubiquity provides a balance in their lives. For me, it has also become an outlet for creativity. I have taken it a step further by venturing into song writing, attempting to express my sentiments about faith and putting that all into song. For overseas Filipinos, the Christmas season provides a perfect opportunity for this love of music to thrive.
Integrating into a new country can be difficult, lonely and unnerving. But joining a choir to sing at Mass especially during the Yuletide season makes it just a little bit easier. Sharing a common love of singing with neighbors and fellow parishioners, opens doors for developing closer relationships. Many enduring friendships have been formed with fellow Filipinos and locals in this way.
Not only can Filipinos join existing choirs, but in parishes where there are none we have been known to form new ones and provide music service for the Mass. This is where value is most apparent and further proof of the vast pool of musical talent that Filipinos have. It is most certainly a very positive use of this talent as it is shared with joy and vigor in other countries.
The number of Filipino choirs in churches all over the world is a testament to church music’s role as a catalyst and unifier for the Filipino diaspora. Their contribution has been mentioned by church leadership as invaluable, often regarded as one of the ways communities have been enlivened. Filipino immigrants have been boon to places where the church and Mass attendance is on the decline. We have brought our faith with us. We are slowly making our presence felt, as readers, members of school boards and parish pastoral councils, ministers of the Eucharist, fundraising volunteers and, of course, as choristers.
Having Filipino clergy at the helm in many Catholic churches as parish priests and assistant parish priests helps immensely. In Wellington alone, where I am based, many parishes celebrate Simbang Gabi in the lead up to Christmas Day, with music provided by a different Filipino choir at each of the Novena Masses. These choirs, in addition to the parish’s own, are usually visiting from another parish or suburb. Starting with the first Mass celebrated by the Papal Nuncio, the Novena culminates in the Christmas Eve Mass usually officiated by the Archbishop of Wellington and where an amalgamation of all the choirs or their representatives sing.
Choir members, even with their full time jobs, are only too happy to spend evenings beforehand to practice singing Advent and Christmas songs. The song lineup in English and Filipino is sure to include the festive classic "Ang Pasko Ay Sumapit” sung at Christmas Eve mass. The Filipino songs are now also interspersed with English and Maori songs - a true blending of cultures within the Mass in New Zealand.
Filipino songs are now also interspersed with English and Maori songs - a true blending of cultures within the Mass in New Zealand.
With many parishes now having their own Simbang Gabi and some even booking choirs a year in advance, it is quite common for choirs to sing at more than one church. Such is the demand for music and the enthusiasm for even more meaningful Eucharistic celebrations at these Novena Masses.
I was able to feature one of my original songs at Mass in this setting, with the encouragement and support of our choir, Music Ministry Head, and Filipino chaplains. As an added bonus, a Filipino couple engaged to be married asked our choir to sing at their wedding after hearing us sing at Mass. It is a wonderful feeling when your work is given value and fulfills the role it was meant for.
In the end though, church songs are written to glorify not ourselves but God and to reinforce the idea that singing is a form of prayer and worship, contributing to the sanctification and edification of the faithful. In the words of Pope Francis, while addressing the Italian Association of St. Cecilia (AISC) in September of 2019, as mentioned in the Vatican News, “I recommend that you help the whole people of God to sing with conscious and active participation in the liturgy. This is important: closeness to the people of God… Beautiful and good music,” he said, “is a privileged tool for approaching the transcendent and often helps even those who are distracted to understand a message.”
The Pope noted that the program of the association (AISC) includes activities such as composing new melodies, promoting singing in seminaries and houses of religious formation, and supporting parish choirs, organists, schools of sacred music and young people.
These activities align closely with what Filipino choirs are doing around the world. I feel there is a place for new music to be explored and cultivated, especially when the right combination of liturgical relevance, appealing melodies and messages touches one’s heart.
For the choir, singing is also an opportunity to give back to the church community. Parishioners are really appreciative of how the Mass has been made more alive, prayerful and reverent with a choir present. For Filipino migrants, not only is it a reminder of home at a time when they cannot perhaps go on a trip back home, but it also showcases our culture through our music. The children who tag along, having grown up in a foreign land, are now treated to a sampling of Filipino music, and most of all, pleasant memories to look back to when they are older.
And because these are Novena Masses, attendance is no longer limited to Filipinos alone but has expanded to folks of other ethnicities. They, in turn, get the chance to hear our wonderful songs of praise and worship at Mass.
It is generally understood that Simbang Gabi started in the early days of Spanish rule in the Philippines, intended primarily for farmers, who began work before sunrise to avoid the midday heat while out in the fields. In an interesting twist, in New Zealand, it is celebrated in the evenings, as a compromise for all the hardworking Filipino migrants whose busy schedules would make it ideal for them to attend in the evenings instead. This makes the start of the Novena Masses the night of the fifteenth of December.
Another important aspect, often well thought of, are the food and refreshments served after the Mass. In lieu of the traditional puto bumbong which at one time, we were privileged to have, other delectable Filipino dishes are served. Among the favorites are various kinds of noodle dishes – pancit, arroz caldo, pan de sal, puto’t kutsinta, dinuguan at puto, lumpia, sapin-sapin, sandwiches, fishballs, pizza and pasta which are just as delicious and yet another happy reminder of home.
After congregating at Mass through song, comes fellowship over two other things Filipinos love and cannot do without: our conversations and our awesome food.
It is heartwarming to see the contributions people make with dishes cooked with love, some representing their regional cuisine, and the physical acts of setting up church halls for the gathering. It is as if the miracle of the loaves and fishes comes to life with a variety of culinary delights added o "feed the multitude.” The bayanihan spirit is alive and well, in the food preparation, the veritable potluck itself, putting out a good spread for the occasion, and even the cleanup.
It is heartwarming to see the contributions people make with dishes cooked with love. Members of the Spring of Life Fellowship (SLF) with Fr. Cirilo Barlis.
After congregating at Mass and through song, comes fellowship in two other things Filipinos cannot do without: conversations: be they about sports, hobbies, family, or vacations and, of course, our awesome food. And let us not forget the picture taking afterwards. Many a selfie has captured the joy of community and unwavering enthusiasm for these activities. With our hearts and spirits fulfilled and our stomachs full, we then make our way home. But we are ready for the next night of prayer and music, looking forward to completing our nine evenings of Simbang Gabi, the overseas special edition.
The number of Filipino choirs in churches all over the world is a testament to Church music’s role as catalyst and unifier for the Filipino diaspora. SLF with Fr. Raymond Soriano.
Ronald ‘Ronnie’ Salazar is a tech professional who has lived and worked in New Zealand for almost 30 years. An engineer by education, he is a singer-songwriter by avocation, whose compositions are on Spotify, Apple Music and on his YouTube channel. He is also the current president of Spring of Life Fellowship, a registered NZ charity established in 1999 whose choir sings at parishes in and around Wellington.
