December 21, 2012

Readers share their favorite Christmas memories

Pastor celebrates universal Church with multicultural Christmas wishes

By Julie Williamson (Special to The Criterion)

One of my favorite Christmas memories was going to Christmas Eve Mass at Holy Spirit Church on East 10th Street in Indianapolis.

During the ’70s, our pastor, Father William Munshower, made that Mass extra special.

As a family, all nine of us along with my Aunt Hermina attended the 7:30 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass.

The cozy, beautifully decorated church came alive with the angelic sounds of the choir, and the booming sound of the trumpets and other instruments.

During his homily, Father Munshower would always start by asking for the parishioners to call out “Merry Christmas” in all the different languages represented in our parish.

We would hear “Joyeux Noël” (French), “Frohe Weihnachten” (German), “Wesołych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia” (Polish), “Feliz Navidad” (Spanish) and a host of other beautiful ways to say “Merry Christmas.”

I always loved how no matter what background, culture or country that we came from, we all wanted to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ together as one.
 

(Julie Williamson is a member of St. Simon the Apostle Parish in Indianapolis.) †

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