FAITHFUL TO BEGIN NINE DAYS OF PRAYER AND REFLECTION IN SOLIDARITY WITH IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY
September 17, 2020  |  By:   |  Press Releases  |  

Archbishop Gomez will Celebrate Mass for “Day in Recognition of All Immigrants” this Sunday 

Faithful are invited to unite in prayer to celebrate the immigrant spirit of the U.S. at the Day in Recognition of All Immigrants virtual Masses presided by Archbishop José H. Gomez on Sunday, September 20 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles. A Mass in Spanish will be held at 7 a.m. and a Mass in English will start at 10 a.m. Both will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/lacatholics/.

“This has been another challenging year for our immigrant community, made more complicated by the restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic,” said Archbishop José H. Gomez. “I am really looking forward to this time for us to come together as one family of God, even if it can only be virtually this year, to pray and share God’s love and compassion.”  

The celebration will include a testimony delivered by Kaithlyn Luna, 16, a junior at St. Pius X – St. Matthias Academy. Kaithlyn entered the country as an uncompanioned minor to reunite with her mother in Los Angeles and seeking asylum in the U.S. due the violent crimes that her family had been victims of in their country. 

On Friday, faithful at parishes throughout the tri-county of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles will begin a Novena, from September 18-26, in spiritual preparation for the 2020 World Day of Migrants and Refugees on September 27. Faithful will join the nine days of prayer and reflection at https://lacatholics.org/immigration-novena/.

Since 2013, the annual celebration has also included a 60 -mile walking pilgrimage by a group of faithful led by Don Antonio, starting at Lake Forest, CA in Orange County and ending at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels in solidarity to all of those impacted by the broken immigration system. The pilgrimage, called “Siempre Adelante”(Always Forward) in honor of St. Junípero Serra, follows part of the same route, he traveled with fellow missionaries to find the first nine missions in California. Due to the pandemic, Don Antonio will walk alone this year, but he is inviting everyone to participate virtually. Participants may register online and commit to any number of miles for their journey. Pilgrimage participants have until December 12th to complete their pilgrimage. To register, visit: https://lacatholics.org/immigration-pilgrimage/. There is also an option to donate to Catholic Charities to support immigrant and refugee efforts. To donate, visit: https://catholiccharitiesla.org/donate/. For more information, please call (213) 637-7820 or visit https://lacatholics.org/immigration/ and https://thenextamerica.org/.The community of faith across the Archdiocese of Los Angeles are invited to show their support by sharing immigration stories and prayers on social media using the hashtag #PrayForImmigrants.

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About the Archdiocese of Los Angeles

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is the largest 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. Follow us on social media using @LACatholics onFacebook, Instagram and Twitter. Video footage and photographs  (credit: Angelus News) of Masses celebrated by Archbishop José H. Gomez are also available.