ARCHBISHOP GOMEZ TO CELEBRATE MASS TO HONOR FOSTER PARENTS DURING CATHOLIC FOSTER FAMILY APPRECIATION DAY, OCT. 13
September 27, 2019  |  By:   |  Press Releases  |  

—The Mass will recognize the contributions of Catholic families who foster, foster-to-adopt and advocate for Foster children through the CASA program–

Archbishop José H. Gomez will celebrate the Mass in honor of Catholic foster families on Sunday, October 13 at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles, to mark the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Office of Life, Justice and Peace’s first Catholic Foster Family Appreciation Day. Foster care advocates and families from parish communities are invited to join the Mass to recognize the contributions of individuals and families who help to provide a home and care for the more than 34,000 children who are part of Los Angeles’ foster care system.

“I admire our Catholic families who have opened their homes to foster children. Caring for young ones without families or homes is so important today. Fostering is a work of mercy and a work of hope,” said Archbishop Gomez. “It can change a child’s life and often it can help heal their parents as well. With this special event, I want to honor and say thank you to these special families, who are signs of God’s loving presence in our city today.”

The Mass will be hosted by the Office of Life, Justice and Peace, which launched in 2018 the Foster Care Awareness Program in partnership with local agencies Foster All , Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and Olive Crest. The program includes presentations at parishes and schools, where experts share resources and encourage the faithful to learn and get involved in the numerous ways that they can help change the life of foster children, including prayer and clothes, food and monetary donations.

“Fostering children in need is a beautiful act of love! We have seen so many families in our Catholic parishes and schools open their hearts and homes to children, and it changes their lives,” said Kathleen Domingo, Senior Director of the Office of Life, Justice and Peace. “We are honoring all of those families at our first ever Catholic Foster Family Appreciation Day. It is our opportunity to recognize the beautiful sacrifice of our families, to welcome and celebrate the children, and to build communities of support in our parishes and schools that will enable more families to get involved.”

Since the program’s inception, Foster All , an agency that acts as a bridge for prospective families, connecting them with the appropriate organization, has recruited more than 600 families in parishes, many of them already certified and caring for foster children in their homes, or in the process of becoming foster families.

Following the Mass, catholic foster families will join together at Los Angeles State Historic Park for the Catholic Foster Family Appreciation Day picnic and festival sponsored by the Office of Life, Justice and Peace and Foster All. Foster families will be able to enjoy free food, games and various activities.

For more information, visit onelifela.org/foster, fosterall.org, olvicecrest.org and CasaLa.org.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is the largest Archdiocese in the United States with approximately five    million Catholics. For the latest news, events and to subscribe for media alerts visit media.la-archdiocese.org. Follow us on social media at LACatholics on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Video archives and footage of Masses celebrated by Archbishop Jose H. Gomez are also available.  

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