All are welcome: All Saints Catholic Parish brings cultures together for Multicultural Festival

Hallie Gallinat, Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, Ind.
·3 min read

Apr. 23—A true melting pot of cultures gathered at All Saints Catholic Parish Saturday night for its Multicultural Festival. Throughout the evening, over 100 people from different cultures and faiths packed the parish for food and fun.

Tom Coleman, one of the organizers, said this was not their first time hosting a festival like this, as they had held one five years earlier. They wanted to continue it the next year, but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented that. Father Michael Block said they plan to make this an annual event.

"I was curious to see what kind of response there would be and wow, big response," Block said. "And I love seeing people from the community that [are] people I don't recognize. I love that aspect."

The event started at 4 p.m. with a bilingual Rosary reading in the church, followed by mass at 4:30 p.m.. Food from various cultures was then served from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., which included Italian, Mexican, Philippian, American, Guatemalan and Salvadoran foods.

Outside the main dining room, children and adults could participate in a cake walk. By buying a ticket, they could win a cake, made by several people from other churches, if they stopped on a called out number when the music stopped. Volunteer Cinda Milan said they raised almost $300 from the cake walk.

"It was funny because when I mentioned the cake walk, so many people have never seen one, but they thought they had to put a cake in their hands and walk around," Coleman said. "It's like... Musical Chair[s]."

Teclas Mayas, a local Guatemalan band that also plays at the parish's masses, performed throughout the night for visitors. A silent auction was also held throughout the night, where visitors could place bids on three large electric toy cars. Cornhole and Jenga were also available outside.

Coleman said around 75 volunteers helped at the festival. He said the event brought the community together no matter their faith to enjoy food they can not get anywhere else. They also did not want the event to be something people ate at and then left, but rather something where people stayed and tried different foods for an hour or two, which he said the event accomplished.

"... And so, it's just kind a 'let's start getting together, we're Logansport.' We're all religion, we're all nationalities, but all in all, we're Logansport," Coleman said.

Block said what he loves about the parish is the different integration they have. For example, he comes from Indianapolis, while another priest at the parish grew up in Chihuahua, Mexico. He said the two of them get along because they are doing the same work through the same church.

In addition, Block said during their masses, he said the audience is made up of people whose first language is English and those whose first language is Spanish. He said this festival is meant to celebrate what unites them is the city of Logansport and their common faith in the Catholic Church.

"And so, it's a wonderful event," Block said. "I'm really grateful to Tom Coleman for sharing this, to be able to say our parish, with our many different languages, our many different faces, all our different colors, we are one group together, we're one family in God."