Gathered with Bishop John Harvey Taylor for Feb. 21 Lunar New Year celebration at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church, Monterey Park, are members and friends of three Chinese-speaking congregations – St. Thomas’, Hacienda Heights; Church of Our Saviour, San Gabriel; and St. Gabriels. Photo: Bob Williams
Members and friends of three Chinese-speaking congregations in the Diocese of Los Angeles gathered Feb. 21 at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in Monterey Park for a Lunar New Year Saturday-evening celebration that included worship, singing, dancing, feasting and fellowship.
The worship portion of the event included prayers, scripture and hymns offered by each of the participating congregations: St. Gabriel’s, St. Thomas in Hacienda Heights, and Church of Our Saviour in San Gabriel. All were welcomed to St. Gabriel’s by its priest-in-charge, the Rev. Canon Ada Wong-Nagata, joined by the Rev. Dr. Fennie Hsin-Fen Chang, vicar of St. Thomas; and the Rev. Katherine Feng and the Rev. Dr. Thomas Ni, both of Church of Our Saviour.
Singing was followed by a choreographed dance, created and performed by members of the St. Thomas’ community, including some recent immigrants from China. The graceful spins and stretches carried a simple message: “No matter where we are now, the light of the world is always ahead and leading us home.”
During the service, Bishop John Harvey Taylor, a regular attendee at the annual Lunar New Year celebration, preached on the joy of working with Chinese ministries in the diocese and reflected on the political crisis surrounding immigration.
Referencing the Year of the Horse, the emblem of the 2026 Lunar New Year, he described the horse as a symbol of “strength, courage, and freedom,” and said the image can encourage our communities through a time of political uncertainty.
“When someone is afraid to go to church, which is true at about 25 of our congregations in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles because of our government’s cruel, racist raids and kidnappings,” Taylor said, “we remember to reach out to them and make them feel noticed and loved.
“We also serve as ambassadors of love to our politicians and say that we demand that all in power obey the golden rule. Practically speaking, that means not hurting innocent people, just as the powerful don’t want to be hurt. Confucius proclaimed the Golden Rule 500 years before Christ. It is the divine law of the universe. The Golden Rule is the Word that proceeded from the beginning of all things. It is time for all governments to obey it….
“One of the roots of our political crisis is a resistance to plural democracy,” Taylor added. “Some people living in our land do not wish to share it. I know that many if not most in this congregation have experienced personal and structural racism. We pray this afternoon for all immigrant workers under assault by this government. All are owed an apology whose neighborliness and industry our president reciprocates with cruelty and deadly violence…. May we be sustained by the strength of the horse and the authority of God’s eternal Word.”
Beyond celebrating a new calendar year, the gathering exemplified the congregations’ collaboration in ministry. “By working closely together, we can more efficiently share information and resources between one another, and also with the bishop and his office,” Chang, St. Thomas’ vicar who is also convenor of the diocesan Chinese ministries group. The partnership “shortens the distance,” she said, and makes it easier for the needs of Chinese ministries to be heard and met by the diocese.
A shared priority of the ministry group is collaborating in the Taiwan-Los Angeles companion-diocese relationship through which young Episcopalians from Southern California and the Central Coast are invited to a “Ministry Experience” visit starting in Taipei this summer. More information is here.
After the service, the festivities moved to the parish hall, where attendees – many wearing traditional red and gold – enjoyed a family-style dinner alongside games and performances led by each congregation.
The Rev. Joseph Ho, a priest visiting from Taiwan and assisting at St. Gabriel’s through the Taiwan-Los Angeles companion-diocese partnership, led a game that invited participants to guess Bible characters from a string of emojis. Those who guessed correctly were rewarded with pieces of chocolate wrapped in bright holiday red.
Each guest in attendance received envelopes containing red cards printed with couplets written in Chinese characters by Phoebe Pohuen Pao, parishioner of St. Thomas’, whose late husband, the late Rev. Canon Benjamin Pao, was founding vicar and rector of St. Gabriel’s.
As the evening came to a close, Bishop Taylor noted that this would be his last time celebrating Lunar New Year with the three congregations before the end of his term. He added that Chinese ministry would continue to be in faithful hands with Bishop-elect Antonio J. Gallardo L. The congregations thanked Taylor for his support and presented him with a flower basket and a booklet of pictures and stories reflecting on their time together.
“The Lunar New Year marks that the old is gone and the new is coming,” said Chang, comparing the feeling of Lunar New Year to Passover – the relief and gratitude after coming through difficulty. “It celebrates that we survived another year.”