‘This Mass is so good. We have a diverse culture, and this brings us together.’
CHARLOTTE — A vibrant melting pot of Black Catholics from Cameroon, the United States, Congo, Togo, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal, Liberia and the Caribbean filled Our Lady of Consolation Church in harmony to resume the “Harambee” Mass after a five-year hiatus.
At 11 a.m. on Dec. 29, Our Lady of Consolation’s Black Catholics celebrated the feast of the Holy Family “Harambee” style – together as one big connected African family. “Harambee” means “pulling together” in Swahili and is a celebration many Black Catholics have practiced since the late 1970s.
Liturgical Commission Chair Tony Barnett, who helped organize the Mass, explained, “At OLC we are fortunate to have such a variety of members that represent not only continental Africa but the Caribbean, and it is important to us to incorporate their values and cultures and that we put that in the context of Catholic worship. ‘Harambee’ is one way to blend the cultures together.”
“Harambee” is a call for unity and solidarity. The Mass shares the cultural traditions born out of African American worship experiences and later incorporated into Catholic worship.
During the entrance procession, Cameroonian parishioners danced behind Father James Kueh Kang, Father Yves Ilapi Kennedy, and Deacon Curtiss P. Todd, moving to the beat of West African djembe drums and wearing black felt tunics woven with patterns of gold, green and red.
Father Kang, who presided over the “Harambee” Mass and is a native of Cameroon, intentionally set the Mass right before the New Year to begin a season of togetherness for the upcoming Jubilee Year. In the past, Our Lady of Consolation Parish celebrated a “Harambee” Mass every fifth Sunday of the month, essentially quarterly, but COVID-19 put “Harambee” in remission. Recently installed Father Kang and parishioners believed now is the time to reinstate this important custom.
The formal entrance of dancing, chanting and rattling Shekere instruments is commonplace in traditional African Masses. Similarly, the offertory procession delivered more than wine and bread in preparation for consecration. There were more than 20 minutes of praise, with people from many countries and traditions presenting their own offerings – monetary gifts, paper supplies, water and other food supplies – in baskets decorated in flag-colored fabric symbolizing each country. Members of three different Our Lady of Consolation choirs, Perpetual Hope, The Cameroonians and the Francophones, sang “The Presence of the Lord” in one harmonized voice. While the nations presented their gifts, they proudly waved their flags, dancing and tapping metal gongs to produce traditional sounds that brought them memories of home.
“The pride and joy that came out of all the groups while making their offering was just delightful,” said Toni Tupponce, chair of the parish's Black Culture Commission.
Bliloh Mabwe, wearing a blue and white head wrap indicating she hails from Liberia, stated, “It reminds me of back home. It takes my mind back home. It makes me want to go there.”
Father Kang, in honor of the feast day, reflected in his homily on the day's readings, which were all about family. He did not solely focus on the Holy Family, or the family of African brothers and sisters, but about the nuclear family.
Father Kang presented a question to the congregation: “Would husbands remarry their wives if they could? Would wives remarry their husbands? Would children choose their parents if given the option? If the answer is 'no,' there is something wrong. Love has been lost. There are problems that need to be discussed.”
Father Kang added some practical advice for parents: “Parents, never talk badly about each other in front of your children,” he said. “Never put down your partner. Talk to them in a quiet place, or you will destroy your family… We are coming together to celebrate our family. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to guide your family.”
For the communion hymn, the choirs joined together singing “Kumbaya, Come by Here, Lord.” The different versions combined harmoniously, and just like all the hymns sung, it did not have a fixed ending point. Voices gradually subsided, making it feel more like authentic prayer than a scripted hymn.
“A moment came when it turned from two groups singing a song to one group making music, and we all felt it,” Tupponce said. “Two similar but unique musical arrangements came together seamlessly, and that is what I hope we will be able to do in our community.”
Irene Musongong, from Cameroon, who visited from South Carolina, said, “Today is Family Sunday Day, so we celebrate like a family. All the different tribes of Africa are coming together. This Mass is so good. We have a diverse culture, and this brings us together.”
French Masses offered by Father Kennedy and Father Kang every third Sunday draw many African Catholics from French-speaking countries to Our Lady of Consolation Church, removing the language barrier and creating a sense of community. Many congregants have found a new home in the parish, traveling from different counties and even crossing the state line to attend.
After Mass, parishioners served traditional African American dishes as well as those out of continental Africa and the Caribbean made from treasured family recipes. Goat meat from Nigeria called Anu-Ewu, Ko-ki corn from Cameroon, and curry chicken from Jamaica combined with traditional macaroni and cheese and collard greens to create a broad buffet of foods familiar to the international community. While everyone ate, church members shared something they all had in common: their immigration stories.
“All the gifts that we get and that we offer to God come from our ancestors, who come out of continental Africa, but here in the U.S. our ancestors come out of enslavement. We all are connected from the same root, and that is what we are trying to say through Harambee,” said Tupponce, who, with her mother, once were the only African Americans in a majority Polish Catholic church they attended. Today she enjoys the ability to be authentically Black and Catholic at Our Lady of Consolation Parish.
Cindy Gardin, who attended the Mass dressed in the African American colors of liberation – red, representing the blood of her ancestors; black, representing her people; and green, representing the potential of all African Americans – reflected, “‘Harambee’ means ‘pulling together.’ The Cameroonians have their own Mass and the Francophones have their own Mass. Now we are all here together, and I prefer it that way.”
— Lisa Geraci
