There is only one race!

I really enjoy being a parishioner at St Eugene Catholic Church here in Oklahoma City.  It's the closest parish I've found here to the Catholicism of the Gulf Coast.  The parishioners here are a diverse crowd. On any given Sunday, you can be sitting next to African Catholics, Vietnamese Catholics, Hispanic Catholics, and just the good ole Okie Catholics. I love it! 

One thing that really drew me to this parish was the diversity.  In fact, the parish mission statement says, "We at Saint Eugene Catholic Church, are as a baptized as a people baptized in Christ, commanded to go out into the world and make Jesus Christ present. We are a beacon of faith, guided by the Holy Spirit, drawing diverse people to God through the rich tradition and heritage of the Catholic Church". Wow, this is not just diversity for diversity's sake, but an embodiment of the true meaning of the word Catholic.  Our truth is universal and a common faith shared among all different types of people.

I love my home at Saint Eugene. I love going to the Spanish mass and hearing the uplifting hymns, the reverence and piety of the Latin hymns sung in the English mass during  holy seasons, and the joy that beacons from our Cameroon choir.  In my zeal of the diversity, St JoseMaria Escriva reminds us, "There is only one race in the world: the race of the children of God." 

Sólo hay una raza en el mundo: la raza de los hijos de Dios.

Chỉ có một chủng tộc trên thế giới: dòng dõi con cái Thiên Chúa.

Vnum est genus in mundo, genus filiorum Dei.