St. Mother Teresa Parish marks Chinese New Year

Parishioners at St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish celebrate the Lunar New Year with a Mass on Jan. 22, 2023. For more than two decades, the parish has combined elements of Chinese New Year cultural customs before and during the celebratory Mass. This year’s celebration began outside the church with the lighting of firecrackers. Once inside, parishioners and guests enjoyed symbolic moments before Mass including a lion dance in the church aisles to cultural music and St. Therese Chinese Catholic School students performing liturgical dances. Mass included choirs singing in English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Indonesian. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)
Before Mass, parishioners light traditional firecrackers to celebrate the new year. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)
The congregation welcomes the traditional lion. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)
Musicians play traditional instruments at the start of Mass. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)
Students from St. Therese Chinese Catholic School perform a lion dance. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)
Students from St. Therese Chinese Catholic School perform a lion dance. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)
The congregation participates in the Mass. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)
School students sing in the choir. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)
Participants present the gifts to Father Francis Li. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)
A student carries a banner. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)
An altar server presents incense. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)
Father Li celebrates the Eucharist. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)
The choir performs during Mass. They sang songs in English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Indonesian. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)
Father Li leads an ancestor ceremony. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)
Father John Cuff, a resident priest at the parish, distributes red envelopes. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)
Children open their red envelopes. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

Advertising