In the heart of Harlem, the Francophone community of St. Joseph of the Holy Family Parish marked ten years of faith, fellowship and cultural connection with a celebration that brought together Catholics from across New York and beyond.

The community has grown over the past decade around the ministry of Father Joseph Kinda, a priest from Burkina Faso who has helped make St. Joseph of the Holy Family a spiritual home for French-speaking Catholics in New York.

Rev. Joseph Kinda, Pastor of St. Joseph of the Holy Family

Today, the parish’s Sunday French Mass draws worshippers from several African countries and different parts of the city, offering them not only a place to practice their faith in French, but also a space where language, culture and a shared sense of community can be preserved far from home.

The anniversary Mass was presided over by the Most Reverend Edmund Whalen, Auxiliary Bishop of New York, a familiar presence to the congregation.

The Most Reverend Edmund Whalen, Auxiliary Bishop of New York

Members of the community affectionately refer to him as “St. Joseph’s bishop,” a reflection of a relationship built through his repeated visits and participation in important moments of the community’s life. He was joined by Father Kinda and several other priests and members of the clergy, including guests who traveled from other U.S. cities and from Burkina Faso for the occasion.

From the opening procession, the celebration reflected the identity the community has developed over the past ten years. Parishioners wore coordinated anniversary attire, while the liturgy combined the solemnity of Catholic tradition with the rhythms and expressions of African worship. Classical works and familiar Catholic hymns, including Handel’s Hallelujah and the Salve Regina, were heard alongside songs in African languages, accompanied at times by movement, dancing and traditional rhythms.

The procession of the gifts was another expression of that cultural blend. During the offertory, members of the congregation approached the altar carrying baskets, fruits and other offerings, while flags representing the various countries within the Francophone community were brought forward. The scene reflected the diversity of a congregation whose members may come from different nations but have built a common spiritual home in Harlem.

That diversity is particularly striking at St. Joseph of the Holy Family, one of Harlem’s historic Catholic parishes. Founded in 1860, the church now serves a multicultural congregation and celebrates Sunday Masses in English, Spanish and French. The Francophone community has become part of that long history, bringing with it traditions rooted largely in African Catholicism while remaining firmly connected to the wider life of the Archdiocese of New York.

At the conclusion of Mass, representatives of both the Francophone and English-speaking communities addressed the congregation, praising Father Kinda’s leadership and his role in strengthening the parish and helping the Francophone community grow over the past decade.

The celebration continued beyond the walls of the church. Following Mass, worshippers took to the streets of Harlem for a Marian procession, praying and singing as they moved through the neighborhood in a public expression of their devotion to the Virgin Mary. The tradition is already a familiar one at St. Joseph, where Francophone parishioners have previously organized processions around the Feast of the Assumption.

After the procession, the religious celebration gave way to an evening of food, music and fellowship. The parish hall and adjoining outdoor spaces filled with members of the community and invited guests who gathered for dinner and festivities. What had begun at the altar continued around shared tables, with the anniversary becoming as much a celebration of the relationships formed over ten years as of the milestone itself.

For an immigrant community, a parish can occupy a place that extends well beyond Sunday worship. It can become a point of continuity between countries, generations and cultures. At St. Joseph of the Holy Family, French-speaking Catholics from across Africa have created such a space in one of New York’s most historically significant neighborhoods.

Ten years after the Francophone community began taking shape, its anniversary offered a vivid picture of what Catholicism in New York can look and sound like: Handel and African rhythms, Salve Regina and songs in local languages, the American streets of Harlem filled with a Marian procession, and flags from across Africa carried into a Catholic church that has stood on West 125th Street for more than a century and a half.

It was, above all, a celebration of faith lived across cultures — and of the ways immigrant communities continue to add new chapters to New York’s religious and cultural history.

Photos by Bruno Tiemtore