The Mayflower Festival — which has traditionally been a way for Roman Catholics in the Philippines to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary — has taken on a new emphasis as local organizers reach out to members of other faiths and ethnic populations in Los Angeles.
They didn't have to reach reach far for the most recent festival, held on May 15 at the Church of the Nazarene in a neighborhood bounded by Vermont Avenue on the west, Rampart Boulevard on the east, 1st Street on the north, and 3rd Street on the south. It is a near-rectangular chunk of the cityscape that sits adjacent to the better-known and officially designated Historic Filipinotown district on the northwestern edge of Downtown.
The two areas meld together to a large degree, with a significant number of Fil-Am residents and businesses in both sections. But the area is also home to neighbors from various ethnic groups and faith communities. Indeed, its dozen or so square blocks hosts several Catholic Churches and a similar number of Protestant denominations, along with an Islamic Center.
Mayflower Festivals have traditionally appealed to Roman Catholics, who venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary as the mother of Jesus. Organizers said that the recent effort to broaden the appeal of the festival is a matter of reflecting the diversity of the neighborhood in general and the Fil-Am community in particular.
"We are trying to make people aware of the area on Vermont Avenue, from 3rd Street to 1st Street, where there is a large Filipino community," says David Rockello, a community leader who is married to a Filipina. "We've invited different organizations, and just about everybody who lives in this area, to get to know the wonderful community that we have here at the First Church of the Nazarene."
Rockello said the Mayflower Festival drew a smaller and less diverse crowd than organized had hoped for — about 100, and mostly Fil-Ams — but attracted sufficient numbers to give them optimism about future gains.
"It was not as big as I thought it was going to be," Rockello said. "But, again, it's a whole bunch of good people, and this is the inaugural, the first time we are doing it. But for next year, we are going to get funding — we are going to do it the right way."
Al Garcia, a member of Justice for Filipino-American Veterans (JFAV), a non-profit group that advocates for World War II veterans, said that a community event at the nearby St. Columban Catholic Church, might have siphoned off potential visitors to the Mayflower Festival attendees.
"Maybe next year we will be able to get a bigger crowd," Garcia said, adding that organizers had only three months lead time to work on the Mayflower Festival.
The sparse crowd didn't discourage participants, either.
Amor Hayner, a physician's liaison at Silverlake Medical Center, said he welcomed the chance to distribute brochures that detailed facility's services.
"We are doing this community outreach to be able to help the multi-cultural people in this community," Hayner said. "Right now our chief executive officer is working with the (neighborhood) councils to see how we can help the community, especially those who do not have insurance."
Sonny Rivera, who serves as pastor of First Church of Nazarene's Filipino congregation said, he is glad to join his flock in the effort to expand the annual festival, which is also popular in parts of the Philippines.
"It is a wonderful festival, common in the regions of Luzon, Visaya and Mindanao," Rivera said. " Our aim is to unify ourselves into one wonderful family because we have something in common."
Inspirational singer Sarah Balabagan, who recently was spared from a death sentence for alleged murder in the United Arab Emirates, sang two Christian inspirational songs from her CD. Historic Filipinotown honorary mayor Jay Valencia presented special commendations from California State Assemblymember Kevin de Leon of the 45th District, along with event organizers Rockello, Rivera, Jerry Esguerra, Paul Esposito, Lulu Astilla, Arturo Garcia, Johnny Royal, and Jack Vergara.
The Cezar Uba family quartet entertained the crowd with instrumental rendition of "You Raise Me Up," with Cezar senior on trumpet, eight-year-old Donna on cornet; 13-year-old Joyce on clarinet, and 15-year-old Cezar Jr., on saxophone.
The festival was organized by the Mayflower Festival Committee. It was supported and endorsed by several Filipino-American and Hispanic organizations.
AJPress Photo by Rene Villaroman.
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