Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM)
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In 2021, St. Michael the Archangel celebrated AAPIHM by looking at the Making of Asian American and Pacific Islanders History and touching on the myth of Model Minority. These posts are still available on our website: https://stmichaelthearchangel.org/news?month=2021-5. This month, over the next three weeks, we plan to celebrate AAPIHM by talking about the rise of violence against Asian Americans, describing cultural Catholic traditions, praying to Blessed faithful on their way to canonization, and providing a recipe for everyone to try.
In the United States, Asian Americans have faced discrimination, prejudice, and violence for many years. From the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, Asian Americans have been the targets of discriminatory policies and practices. In the 1960s, with the Civil Rights Movement and the fight for racial equality gaining momentum, Asian Americans began to speak out against the discrimination and violence they faced.The Rise of Violence Against Asian Americans
In recent years, there has been a marked increase in violence against Asian Americans. According to a report by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, anti-Asian hate crimes surged by nearly 150% in 2020, with many incidents linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and racist rhetoric surrounding it.
The rise in violence against Asian Americans has also been linked to longstanding stereotypes and biases about Asian Americans as being perpetual foreigners or model minorities. These stereotypes can lead to the dehumanization of Asian Americans and create a hostile environment that perpetuates violence and discrimination.
In response to the increase in hate crimes and violence against Asian Americans, many advocacy groups and community organizations have called for increased awareness, support, and action to address the root causes of discrimination and hate.
One way you can support the Asian American communities is by supporting these organizations that provide services that address racism from the individual, interpersonal, community, and policy levels with the goal to create systemic change:- Stop AAPI Hate: https://stopaapihate.org/
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice: https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/
- Red Canary Song: https://www.redcanarysong.net/
- Asian American Federation: https://www.aafederation.org/
- National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum: https://www.napawf.org/
- Asian Mental Health Project: https://asianmentalhealthproject.com/
- Asian Mental Health Collective: https://www.asianmhc.org/
- Asian Pacific Environmental Network: https://apen4ej.org/
One of the beautiful things about Catholicism is how it is adapted to different cultures around the world. For the next three weeks, we will share some different Catholic traditions.Catholic Tradition Spotlight
The canonization process is the process by which the Catholic Church declares a person to be a saint. The process usually begins at the diocesan level, where a local bishop investigates the life and virtues of a candidate for sainthood. Once the bishop has gathered sufficient information, the case is sent to the Vatican for further review by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.Pray for this Blessed candidate
The Congregation examines the candidate's life and writings and determines whether they lived a life of heroic virtue or died a martyr's death. If the Congregation finds that the candidate meets the necessary criteria, they are declared "Venerable."
Next, the candidate's life and writings are examined for evidence of miracles. Miracles are usually cures or healings that are inexplicable by medical science and occur after the candidate's intercession has been requested. If the Congregation finds evidence of a miracle, the candidate is declared "Blessed."
Finally, another miracle is required for the candidate to be declared a saint. Once the miracle is confirmed, the Pope declares the person to be a saint and adds them to the canon of saints.
The canonization process can take many years or even centuries to complete, and the criteria for sainthood are strict. The process ensures that only those who are truly deserving are recognized as saints by the Catholic Church.
There are many chefs and recipe creators online that provide recipes online for free. We will share specific recipes in the next three weeks, but here’s a list of websites you can check out to try to make food from different Asian countries. This is by no means an exhaustive list.Recipe Inspiration - Woks of Life: https://thewoksoflife.com/
- Just One Cookbook: https://www.justonecookbook.com/
- Panlasang Pinoy: https://panlasangpinoy.com/
- Chetna Makan: https://chetnamakan.co.uk/
- Marion’s Kitchen: https://www.marionskitchen.com/
- Raya Malaysia: https://rasamalaysia.com/
- Sharmis Passions: https://www.sharmispassions.com/
- Maangchi: https://www.maangchi.com/
- Viet World Kitchen: https://www.vietworldkitchen.com/
- What To Cook Today: https://whattocooktoday.com/
- Made With Lau: https://www.madewithlau.com/
- Healthy Nibbles by Lisa Lin: https://healthynibblesandbits.com/about-me/
- The Subversive Table: https://thesubversivetable.com/
- Woon Heng: https://woonheng.com/