Pius X celebrates Christ’s global revelation at Epiphany Mass
The word “epiphany" originates from a Greek word meaning “to reveal.” Pius X celebrated its 2016 Epiphany Mass on Wed., Jan. 6 amidst the message that Christ revealed himself to all people so that He might be Lord of all people.
The presence of a global family of faith exists within the halls of Pius X High School every day. Eighteen different nationalities make up the student populace at Lincoln’s only Catholic high school. Students from each of these nationalities opened the celebration held in the Bishop Flavin gymnasium by carrying the flag of their family origin in a procession to join the American flag. Father Ramon Decaen, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, celebrated Mass alongside five of his brother priests who teach at Pius X. Fr. Ryan Kaup, assistant pastor of Sacred Heart Parish and theology teacher at Pius X, offered the homily.
Students read the scriptures and petitions in native languages that included Vietnamese, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, and Polish while English translations were displayed on a projector. Musical numbers both during and after Mass included hymns sung in Latin, Spanish, and German, as well as a song by the Vietnamese Youth Choir and an African spiritual performed by the Pius X men’s choir.
Four additional performances took place following Mass, with each receiving loud applause and approving cheers from the crowd of more than 1,200 students. Each unique performance highlighted entertainment that embraced all cultures with universal languages of song, music, and dance. Members of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Vietnamese Parish performed the Lion Dance, a cultural tradition in China and other Asian countries. Five two-person teams danced to percussion instruments in brightly colored, traditional costumes. The Lion Dance is usually performed for celebrations and special occasions.
The dance transitioned to a piano solo performed by 2015 Pius X graduate Hyunseok Kim. Kim was an exchange student from Korea, and is currently a freshman at the University of Nebraska where he is studying to be a concert pianist. Current Pius X junior Joel Enriquez sang a Spanish ballad accompanied on guitar by Pius X choir director Todd Krier. The Lincoln Southeast Step Chain concluded the assembly by performing their body music dance routine fueled by percussion generated through clapping, slapping, and stomping.
Director of Guidance Jan Frayser and her team organized the celebration and stated that, “It was an awesome celebration of the Epiphany and our rich and wonderful diversity at Pius X.”
