BELLEVIEW | It is dusk just outside St. Theresa Parish in Belleview. Three men stand just beyond the church doors wearing lustrous fabrics for the roles of the Magi— Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar. Each carries a gift, gold, frankincense and myrrh, for the Christ child.

Henry Ayala, Paul Soto and Gabriel Jaime Moreno are Knights of Columbus. Ayala and Soto formed part of the roundtable created to grow the presence of the Knights in the Hispanic community.

That’s when ministry director Maurice Vandenbroeck, also a Knight, mentioned a desire to incorporate the tradition of bringing the Magi into the celebration of Mass on the Solemnity of the Epiphany, as they do in Puerto Rico where he lived for 50 years.

Also raised in Puerto Rico, Ayala loved the idea. “We wanted to have something more for Three Kings to bring our cultural customs to the United States,” he said. “Many remember doing this growing up. It’s a tradition we don’t want to go away, and we want our youth to see the tradition that has evolved.”

Ayala hoped the presence of the Magi would increase participation in the Spanish Mass and it has. Originally less than 50 people participated. Now, the weekly presence can rise to 150, making up 10% of the parish’s congregation.

With the seal of approval from their pastor, Father Tom Connery, Soto and his wife, Luz Medina, set about designing and creating the costumes. The couple has a sewing company, and Medina is a clothing designer. The colorful fabrics with gold and silver threads shimmered and brought a sense of awe and majesty. Soto said being a part of this tradition is meaningful.

He explained in Puerto Rico, each parish has small chapels within the communities.

“We used to begin a procession at 5 a.m., with a vehicle and music inviting the people to come to Mass,” he recalled. “The children were already up waiting for the kings.” Then the Magi arrived at Mass.

After processing into St. Theresa’s, each king brought their gifts to Jesus. Replicating the custom from their homeland, two kings proclaimed the readings at the Spanish vigil Mass for the Solemnity, Jan. 4. After Mass, they remained for photos, giving the children a bag of sweets.

“It is gratifying to share this tradition because, even within the Hispanics, there are different cultural customs. Other countries celebrate, but differently,” said Soto. “Sharing in that helps the faithful become more united because we are all the body of Christ, each with many parts. This way, people feel at home, even when they are far from their homelands.”

Father Connery appreciated the opportunity to share in the tradition. “I know it’s part of their culture and very important to them, therefore I want to foster it and support them in it. I enjoy watching the guys dressed up as kings and to see how seriously the men take it,” he said. “It was unique for me. It displays the richness of the Church. It’s a blessing to see how people celebrate their faith.”

The Solemnity of the Epiphany highlights the divinity of Christ and commemorates divine events in salvation history — Christ evangelizing the Gentiles through the Magi, Christ’s Baptism in the Jordan, and the Wedding at Cana.

Christ is revealed to the Magi as the son of God. The word epiphany in Greek means “revelation from above”.

Theologians note this revelation of Christ’s divinity is threefold. According to Benedictine monk, Dom Prosper Gueranger (1841-1875), “The Star has led the soul to faith; the sanctified Waters of the Jordan have conferred purity upon her; the Marriage Feast unites her to her God.” This follows in the liturgical readings of the next two weeks with the Baptism of the Lord (Jan. 12) and the Wedding Feast at Cana (Jan. 19).

The three mysteries of the Solemnity are highlighted by this elevated celebration of the Three Kings. And just as the Three Kings’ paid homage to Jesus more than 2,000 years ago, revealing Christ to the world, in turn the Knights are taking the Good News beyond their parish. This year the same three men evangelized at St. John the Baptist in Dunnellon. There they were joined by the Spanish community from St. Jude Parish in Ocala.

By Glenda Meekins of the Florida Catholic Staff, January 9, 2025