The voices of students from St. Peter's School echoed through St. Peter's Catholic Church in Olney, Maryland, as the school choir sang during a May 8 Mass celebrating Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, where Auxiliary Bishop Roy Campbell Jr. encouraged young people to embrace the Church’s diversity and Christ’s call to “love one another.”
Organized by the Office of Cultural Diversity and Outreach for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, the liturgy featured students serving in various roles. Under the direction of music teacher and choir director Peter Nguyen, students proclaimed the readings, brought forward the offertory gifts and led the congregation in song.
During his homily, Bishop Campbell reflected on the Church’s diversity and the universality of the Christian faith, connecting the celebration of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage to the Church’s call to unity.
“We celebrate today those of the Christian faith who come from the Pacific Islands and Asian countries,” the bishop said. “And it tells me that God created us, human beings, with diversity – to look different, to act different, to speak different, to have different cultures.”
Referencing the Acts of the Apostles and the early Church’s outreach to the Gentiles, Bishop Campbell said the apostles recognized that all people are equal in the eyes of God.
“Each of us, from the time we come into existence, are born and raised until the time we leave this world, we are all the children of God and the Body of Christ,” he said.
The bishop centered much of his homily on Jesus’ commandment to “love one another,” telling students that Christians bear fruit when they live lives of love and service.
“He says, ‘As I have loved you, love one another,’” Bishop Campbell said. “Jesus loved us so much and still loves us, that He gave His human life so that you and I may have life forever.”
He also reflected on the perseverance of Christians throughout Asia and the Pacific Islands, noting the challenges faced by missionaries and converts in regions where Christianity was not widely accepted.
“It was a struggle for the people who received the Word of God to live it,” he said. “But yet that struggle for faith caused them to keep the faith, to grow in the faith, and now they celebrate the faith with joy.”
Following the Mass, Bishop Campbell was accompanied by Father Thomas Kalita, the pastor of St. Peter’s Parish, as they visited second grade classrooms, where students asked questions about the Catholic faith, heaven, the sacraments and the role of bishops and priests.
During one exchange, a student asked what God did before creating the world. Bishop Campbell used the question to explain the Church’s understanding of eternity and the soul.
“God lives outside of time. He is eternity. He always was, He always is, He always will be,” the bishop told the students. “And each one of us has inside of us a soul. That’swhat’s keeping us alive. And that soul will never die.”
Students also asked Bishop Campbell about his vocation and what he enjoys most about being a priest and bishop.
“The favorite thing about it? Well, there’s a lot of favorite things, honestly,” he said. “But to be able to, with the power of the Holy Spirit … what looks like bread changed into the Body of Jesus Christ. And what looks like wine changed into the Blood of Jesus Christ. And to be able to do that is a miracle.”
Bishop Campbell also spoke about the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the importance of God’s mercy.
“Sometimes we can do things that are wrong that we need to ask the Lord to forgive us for,” he said.
One student asked what it means to love one another, prompting a classmate to respond: “To treat others the way that you want to be treated and to make sure they feel welcome.”
Bishop Campbell praised the response and encouraged the students to continue including and helping one another in their daily lives.
“Let those three things in your class, and your friends, and your teachers, and your classmates hear the same conviction that we are called by God to love one another,” he said.
