I went to Easter Vigil Mass last night at Holy Family parish in San Diego. It was a beautiful multicultural service.

Oh, it wasn't woke.

It was actually all about the Resurrection, and just done in four languages -- English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Tagalog, which is the main language of the Philippines. Maybe five, if you include the Latin parts. Auxiliary Bishop Ramon Bejarano, a warm-hearted, popular church leader, presided, which was kind of an honor for us. 

I always like it because I get to learn a few words in Vietnamese and Tagalog, as well as smooth out my Spanish as we sing in different languages.

I feel the parish does this not for woke reasons, but because it normally has Masses in different languages, which has always been done for ethnic communities since the dawn of the U.S. But by bringing the parish together for a multicultural Mass a few times a year, it makes the parish one parish, not a lot of splinter cliques. We get to know each others' names, enjoy the magnificent Vietnamese choir, and make friends we might not otherwise make.

It was a classical Easter Vigil Mass, standing room only, with a big procession into the church, and people lighting and bearing candles. There were baptisms and confirmations of catechumens, or converts. The litany of the saints was read. The story of Creation was read. There was incense, holy water sprinking, and all the sensory things that make Mass intriguing for many. There were many flowers on the altar.

There were amusing stumbles and bumbles in the choreography. When the bishop was saying the central part of the Mass, changing bread into the body and wine into the blood of Christ, the parish priest quietly snuck up on him from behind and silently yanked his hot pink beanie off. Apparently, the bishop cap is not supposed to be worn for this event. I almost laughed because it sort of looked like little kids playing pranks.

As a lector, I read the story of Creation, of God making the birds and fishes, and commanding Man to have dominion over this creation, making man and woman -- and it was such a majestic passage. I also erred a bit during the prayers of the faithful, somehow forgetting to not get off the podium until the bishop had spoken (I darted off early), so I had my own bumbles.

But it was beautiful, and it worked. Here's what I noticed this time:

With all the different ethnic components of the Church, I noticed one very positive thing in them -- the sense of reverence and tradition that otherwise wouldn't have been there without them. The Mexican and Vietnamese kids were well behaved and respectful. The little girls with Spanish names getting baptism dressed in splendid white dresses, sort of quineanera-looking, definitely a special occasion.

The Latinos in particular insisted on taking Communion on the tongue during that part of the Mass, many kneeling down.

The church itself has gotten more traditional in appearance as the immigration population has grown, the altar in particular is looking more like the kind of altar with statues and niches seen in the San Diego Mission of St. Junipero Serra, who founded the city in 1769, than the spare, modern look it had when the church was constructed around 1970.

I saw the pattern repeat again and again -- the Vietnamese choir was elaborate and classically trained in its songs. There was an amazing fiery baritone -- a young man in his 20s with longish hair -- leading the singing. All of them were dressed in classical Vietnamese attire worn for special occasions. The little old Vietnamese lady next to me told me to sit up straight when I slouched down and crossed my legs.

I know there are things that will come back to me later, but the broad thing I concluded was that these immigrants were strengthening the Church and its mission and message just by their focus on tradition, the very tradition the Vatican is always looking for ways to shut down.

When I think what Mass was like at this same parish before them -- with godawful guitar Masses, happy-happy-happy psychobabble catechism materials, rainbow flags, people showing up like slobs to attend Mass -- it was so beautiful to see respect and dignity and reverence restored to worship -- and clearly driven by these immigrants.

They are like a secret weapon revitalizing the Church in the direction the traditionalists have been seeking all along, even though the Church leaders who loathe Latin Mass and many Church traditions may not know this.

It corresponds with something that occurred to me earlier: that as the Church leaders repress Latin Mass, that I know I can get just about the same thing in Spanish Mass, that same sense of reverence and tradition.

Could it be that as the older wokester generation of Church leaders, the ones who brought us guitar Mass and other weak tea that looks little different from some mainline Protestant denominations, passes the baton to the younger, secret-weapon Catholics from the ethnic communities, the Church will grow ever more traditional as the traditionalists have looked for all along? It seems like it. All I could think at this Mass was 'thank goodness for the immigrants in the Church.'

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