ARCHDIOCESE TO CELEBRATE THE VIBRANT AND DIVERSE ETHNIC COMMUNITIES OF LOS ANGELES WITH PRAYER, SONG AND CULTURAL EXPRESSION
June 20, 2019  |  By:   |  Press Releases  |  

—Archbishop José H. Gomez will preside at a special Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on June 22, to celebrate the contributions of the nearly 40 ethnic communities represented at the Archdiocese—

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest and most diverse diocese, will celebrate the contributions to the Catholic Church of nearly 40 ethnic communities at the 15th annual Celebration of Cultures Mass on Saturday, June 22. Archbishop José H. Gomez will preside at a special Mass at 3:30 p.m., at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown L.A. (555 W. Temple Street, 90012), which will start with a procession of cultural communities at 3 p.m.

“I look forward to this Mass every year because it is like a family reunion — with all our brothers and sisters from every nationality and ethnicity coming together as God’s family to worship and give thanks to our heavenly Father,” said Archbishop Gomez. “If you want to experience the power of the love of God, join us for this joyful celebration.”

Themed “I am the servant of the Lord,” the Mass is a celebration with prayer, song, and cultural expression of the Archdiocese’s diversity.

“This year, we come together as ‘Servants of the Lord,’ following the Blessed Mother’s example. Our theme this year was chosen from the Holy Father, Pope Francis’ words to the youth at World Youth Day,” said Maria Guadalupe Aguilar, member of the Executive Board of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Office of Ethic Ministry. “We form the cultural diversity of the Archdiocese and come together as one to celebrate our culture and religiosity. We proudly wear our cultural attire to honor our ancestors and their legacy. We come from different cultures, but form one body, the Body of Christ.”

Highlights of the Mass include:

  • Procession of more than 25 communities will highlight an image of the Blessed Mother venerated in the community’s culture or group. Some communities will carry an image of the Patroness of their country of origin.
  • Each year, a different community participates with a liturgical dance from their culture in a procession before the Mass, known as prelude. This year’s prelude will be presented by the Mexican Community with Danza Guadalupana from Oxnard, a group of Matachines, who dance to the Blessed Mother or to a patron saint on their feast days.

The nearly five million Catholics in Los Angeles come from about 70 countries and every continent. Worship and ministry is carried out in 42 languages. Among the nationalities that will be represented at the Mass are Filipinos, Vietnamese, Lithuanian, Japanese, Indonesian, Chinese, Nicaraguan, Honduran, Salvadoran, Costa Rican, Guatemalan, Mexican, Italian, Belizean, Persian, French, Igbo-Nigerian, Korean, Croatian, African-American, Portuguese, and Polish. All ethnic communities in attendance are expected to wear their traditional native attires.    

The Catholic Church recognizes cultural diversity as an important constitutive part of our society. The Mass provides an opportunity to the faithful from throughout the Archdiocese to celebrate the rich cultural diversity of Los Angeles and to recognize the unique gifts each of our communities bring to our Local Church.

For more information about the Celebration of Cultures, visit: archla.org/cultures. Please see attached fliers.

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