Lunar New Year coinciding with Jubilee Year seen as time for ‘change, renewal’
February 11, 2025
Father Joseph Tien Phuong Bui, parochial vicar at Christ the Incarnate Word Parish in west Houston, greets members of a lion dance troupe during the parish's Lunar New Year celebration on Jan. 28. (Photo by James Ramos/Herald)
HOUSTON (OSV News) — From Spring to Asiatown, Asian Catholics at parishes around the Archdiocese ushered in the Lunar New Year with a series of Masses and celebrations.
Among these parishes, at Christ the Incarnate Word Parish near Houston’s Asiatown, a troupe of lion dancers rushed through a storm of firecrackers. A large puppet dragon paraded through the grounds near the parish hall and church, where thousands attended Mass on Jan. 28, the eve of the Lunar New Year. Traditional Lunar New Year dishes were served as Father Thu Ngoc Nguyen, pastor, and Father Joseph Tien Phuong Bui, parochial vicar, greeted parishioners and visitors with li xi, or lucky red envelopes.
PHOTOS: Catholics celebrate Lunar New Year traditions
Coinciding with the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year, the Lunar New Year “can be a time of change and renewal” of faith, two U.S. bishops’ committee chairmen said in a special message to Catholics from Asian cultures who celebrate the Lunar New Year.
“We wish you and your families many blessings for a joyous and peace-filled Lunar New Year,” said Bishop Robert J. Brennan of Brooklyn, New York, and Bishop Earl K. Fernandes of Columbus, Ohio, in a Jan. 28 message issued with their blessings on behalf of all the bishops. They chair the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church and its Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Islanders.
Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, who also serves on the USCCB’s subcommittee for Asian and Pacific Islanders, celebrated a Feb. 1 Mass at Ascension Chinese Mission, where a traditional Chinese potluck was also held on Feb. 2. Across several Asian traditions, a series of Masses are celebrated to pray for peace and honor ancestors and family. The Lunar New Year usually starts sometime between late January and mid-February. This year, the festivities begin Jan. 29, ushering in the Year of the Snake, symbolizing good luck, rebirth and renewal. Celebrations can last for 15 days in countries where the Lunar New Year is typically celebrated, such as China, South Korea, Vietnam, and countries with a significant number of people from Asia.
“This year, the Year of the Snake, can be a time of change and renewal, coinciding with the Jubilee Year, in which we are called to be Pilgrims of Hope, people who are constantly being renewed along our faith journey through the power of the Spirit at work within us,” said Bishops Brennan and Fernandes.