ARCHBISHOP GOMEZ TO CELEBRATE HOLY WEEK MASSES AND SERVICES LEADING TO EASTER SUNDAY
March 25, 2021  |  By:   |  Press Releases  |  

Catholic parishes across the Archdiocese of Los Angeles will celebrate Holy Week through indoor and outdoor Masses and services, combined with livestreams on their digital and social platforms, starting on March 28, when Archbishop José H. Gomez will celebrate Palm Sunday Mass in English at 10 a.m. The Masses and services will be livestreamed from the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on facebook.com/lacatholics, https://lacatholics.org/holyweek/ and http://olacathedral.org/live/.

“As we enter into our second Holy Week in the time of the coronavirus, we are starting to see signs of hope,” said Archbishop Gomez. “I encourage you all to read Pope Francis’ beautiful and practical letter for this Year of St. Joseph. From St. Joseph’s example, the Holy Father writes, we learn that ‘our lives can be miraculously reborn if we find the courage to live them in accordance with the Gospel.’ This is the mystery of God that we enter into during Holy Week and Easter. The way of the cross leads to the Resurrection. Our God is the God of the living, not of the dead. The promise of Easter is that we can be reborn, we can become a new creation in Jesus Christ.”

“In the cross, we see the certainty of God’s saving love,” said the Archbishop. “One of the saints said: ‘While the world changes, the cross stands firm.’ This is the lesson we have been learning in this pandemic, in all our disappointments and losses, in all the plans we have been forced to change or abandon.”

The Holy Week Masses and liturgies at the Cathedral will be available for limited attendance and livestreamed on facebook.com/lacatholics, https://lacatholics.org/holyweek/ and http://olacathedral.org/live/ are as follows:

  • Palm Sunday – Sunday, March 28 at 10 a.m. (English) and 12:30 p.m. (Spanish)
  • Mass of the Lord’s Supper – Thursday, April 1 at 12 p.m. (Bilingual – English/Spanish)
  • Passion of the Lord – Friday, April 2 at 12 p.m. (Bilingual – English/Spanish)
  • Easter Vigil – Saturday, April 3 at 8 p.m. (Bilingual- English/Spanish)
  • Easter Sunday – Sunday, April 4 at 10 a.m. (English) and 12 p.m. (Spanish)

Parishes throughout the tri-county Archdiocese of Los Angeles (L.A., Ventura and Santa Barbara counties) will also be live streaming Holy Week Masses through various online and social platforms.

Following are Holy Week celebrations, this year following specific Archdiocese guidelines, based on public health recommendations.

  • Palm Sunday: Palms may be distributed by ushers wearing gloves by the entrance of the worship space. The faithful may take their places in the church or outdoor worship space holding their branches. The priest will bless the branches before, during or after the Mass. For parishes who have “drive-in” style outdoor Masses, palms may be distributed at the end of Mass.
  • Holy Thursday: Holy Thursday celebrates the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper and the Institution of the Eucharist and Priesthood. The traditional washing of the feet that takes place on Holy Thursday will be omitted this year. Indoor or outdoor worship are allowed. The procession at the end of the indoor Mass will be omitted. At the conclusion of the outdoor worship, only the priest and the necessary ministers shall process with the Blessed Sacrament to the church and place the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle.
  • Good Friday: On Good Friday, the celebration of the Lord’s Passion takes place. The Passion of Jesus is read from the Gospel of John and the Adoration of the Holy Cross takes place. The adoration of the Cross by kissing it shall be limited solely to the priest. After the priest has adored the Cross, he may hold the Cross elevated higher for a brief time, for the faithful to adore it in silence. Alternatively, ministers may hold the Cross at the front of the sanctuary and the faithful may process forward single file, observing social distance and mask wearing, and adore the Cross by genuflecting or bowing without touching or kissing it. The Cross can remain before the altar at the conclusion of the Mass so that the faithful may continue to pray and meditate upon it.
  • Holy Saturday: The Easter Vigil Mass will take place in parishes across the Archdiocese and in the Cathedral. The Paschal Candle for the year 2021 will be lit for the first time. The Renewal of Baptismal Promises will also take place. Easter Vigil Mass will be livestreamed from the Cathedral, see above.
    • The annual Blessing of the Animals Celebration presided by Archbishop Gomez and sponsored by the Olvera Street Merchants at Olvera Street has been cancelled this year.
  • Easter Sunday: The celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection will be celebrated at Masses throughout the Archdiocese. Easter Sunday Masses will be livestreamed from the Cathedral, see above.

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Latest video footage and photographs are available on the Archdiocese social channels @lacatholics on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Video footage and photographs (credit: Angelus News) of Masses celebrated by Archbishop José H. Gomez are also available. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is the largest and most diverse Catholic Archdiocese in the United States with approximately five million Catholics, serving the three counties of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara. For the latest news, events and to subscribe for media alerts visit media.la-archdiocese.org