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Moira Shire residents celebrate Cultural Diversity Week with multilingual mass and shared lunch
It was an event that brought the community together.
Residents of Cobram came together on Sunday, March 17, to celebrate Cultural Diversity Week through prayer and dance.
The day began with about 100 participants, many wearing traditional clothing from their family background, filling the pews of St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Cobram to listen to a multicultural mass.
Presided by Cobram priest Fr Junjun Amaya, the mass was done partially in a mixture of Italian and Tagalog (a language of the Philippines).
The mass was accompanied by flag bearers holding the Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Irish, Filipino and Italian flags.
After the mass, participants went to Mivo Park to enjoy a shared lunch, with each person bringing something to share about their culture.
The lunch event was accompanied by storytelling in Italian and Tagalog.
Participants also got to enjoy a performance by a Filipino choir and dance troupe from Numurkah, as well as performances by dancers from Deniliquin.
Talking to the Courier, event organiser Veronica Perri said the cultural celebrations were successful.
“Everyone had a wonderful time; it was really lovely,” she said.
“The whole idea was to bring people together, to share their culture."