CHERRY HILL – In the nine days leading up to Christmas, Catholics throughout the Diocese of Camden came together in numerous parishes for the early morning Misa de Gallo – Mass of the Rooster – before the rise of the sun.
The tradition, which Filipino Catholics call Simbang Gabi (Tagalog for Night Mass), is celebrated in many former Spanish colonies like the Philippines. The nine-day Advent novena, from Dec. 16 to 24, remembers Jesus’ Birth and honors the Blessed Mother.
The 30-plus faithful who gathered for the 5:30 a.m. Mass on Dec. 19 in Christ Our Light Church was evidence of “a faithful people,” says Miguel DeLeon, who with his wife and others, began the tradition 31 years ago in Cherry Hill at Saint Peter Celestine Church (now Christ Our Light). After arriving in the United States from the Philippines to begin his career as a then-surgical resident, he longed for a taste of home.
“This brings back a lot of good memories,” DeLeon said, reflecting on his experiences as a boy in the Philippines and waking up early with his family for a 4:30 a.m. celebration.
Now, he and others look forward to coming together every year to celebrate the tradition in South Jersey. “They [the Filipino community] are very happy knowing they can have this Mass here.”
Integral to the Masses celebrated in Cherry Hill are a litany and reflection on the Blessed Mother; a prominent parol, a star-shaped lantern; and two rooster statues displayed in front of the altar.
The celebrant for the Dec. 19 Mass was Father Ken Hallahan, retired priest of the Diocese, who urged the community to “pay attention, and make sure we look at the right things” during Advent – toward the son of God.
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