St. Paul Parish celebrates cultural diversity in Princeton
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
It was a coming together of all nations when St. Paul Parish, Princeton, hosted an outdoor international festival, complete with food, art, music, dance and cultural artifacts Oct. 11.
Prepared by Father Rene Pulgarin, parochial vicar, and Sister Ligia Zambrano, a member of the Little Sisters of the Annunciation community, who assists in coordinating the parish’s Hispanic Ministry, the festival highlighted countries from throughout the world, including Central and South America, Poland, China, Philippines, Spain, Germany, Italy and the United States.
Though the weather was drizzly, the parish grounds were brightened by those parishioners who opted to dress in their country’s native attire, and warmed by the delectable aromas of various cuisines that permeated the air. Examples of mouthwatering foods that Father Pulgarin said folks enjoyed sampling were pierogis at the Polish table, and puto, which is a steamed rice Filipino dessert. Coffee, hot chocolate and bean soup were the Colombian treats; the table from Spain served potato tortillas with green olives and sangria, and the Chilean cuisine featured empanadas. Not to be outdone, the United States table was “all American” with apple pie and bagels with cream cheese.
Father Pulgarin said he introduced the idea of having the festival last year as part of a Columbus Day observation, which is a major celebration in the Latino community.
However, because St. Paul Parish is comprised of parishioners who hail from many parts of the world, he wanted to broaden its scope and have it more fully reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity of the parish.
“The old, young and everyone in between were thrilled to witness cultural life being maintained and passed on,” said Gina Berger, who prepared a reflection on the event. “Living history was in the making. For those of us born outside the United States, these were electrifying examples of life in countries around the world.”
For the children who were born here and have not yet had the opportunity to visit the land of their heri- tage, they were able to “learn more about themselves and their families,” Berger said. She noted how one fiveyear- old boy had painted a picture of the flag from his native Colombia with a picture of the flag from the United States on the other side.
‘I love both,’ was the boy’s response as he proudly displayed his bicultural flag, Berger related.
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It was a coming together of all nations when St. Paul Parish, Princeton, hosted an outdoor international festival, complete with food, art, music, dance and cultural artifacts Oct. 11.
Prepared by Father Rene Pulgarin, parochial vicar, and Sister Ligia Zambrano, a member of the Little Sisters of the Annunciation community, who assists in coordinating the parish’s Hispanic Ministry, the festival highlighted countries from throughout the world, including Central and South America, Poland, China, Philippines, Spain, Germany, Italy and the United States.
Though the weather was drizzly, the parish grounds were brightened by those parishioners who opted to dress in their country’s native attire, and warmed by the delectable aromas of various cuisines that permeated the air. Examples of mouthwatering foods that Father Pulgarin said folks enjoyed sampling were pierogis at the Polish table, and puto, which is a steamed rice Filipino dessert. Coffee, hot chocolate and bean soup were the Colombian treats; the table from Spain served potato tortillas with green olives and sangria, and the Chilean cuisine featured empanadas. Not to be outdone, the United States table was “all American” with apple pie and bagels with cream cheese.
Father Pulgarin said he introduced the idea of having the festival last year as part of a Columbus Day observation, which is a major celebration in the Latino community.
However, because St. Paul Parish is comprised of parishioners who hail from many parts of the world, he wanted to broaden its scope and have it more fully reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity of the parish.
“The old, young and everyone in between were thrilled to witness cultural life being maintained and passed on,” said Gina Berger, who prepared a reflection on the event. “Living history was in the making. For those of us born outside the United States, these were electrifying examples of life in countries around the world.”
For the children who were born here and have not yet had the opportunity to visit the land of their heri- tage, they were able to “learn more about themselves and their families,” Berger said. She noted how one fiveyear- old boy had painted a picture of the flag from his native Colombia with a picture of the flag from the United States on the other side.
‘I love both,’ was the boy’s response as he proudly displayed his bicultural flag, Berger related.