L.A. ARCHDIOCESE INVITES PARISHES TO RING BELLS, OFFER MASS AND PRAYERS FOR GEORGE FLOYD TOMORROW DURING FUNERAL SERVICE IN HOUSTON, TX
June 9, 2020  |  By:   |  Press Releases  |  

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels to toll bells for 8 minutes and 46 seconds tomorrow at 9 a.m.

Tomorrow, the day of George Floyd’s funeral in Houston, Texas, parishes throughout the Archdiocese have been invited to ring their bells at 9 a.m. for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the amount of time that he was held down, as a symbol of solidarity with all honoring his life as he is laid to rest. Parishes have been called to celebrate Mass in his honor using prayers from “The Preservation of Peace and Justice” (#30A), and include prayers for the repose of Mr. Floyd’s soul and for his family’s comfort and peace.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is committed to continuing to work to end racial injustice in our society and promote peaceful dialogue, discourse and understanding on race and social justice. Parishes, schools and ministries throughout the Archdiocese have received a prayer card in English and Spanish to help our community of faith continue to pray for an end to racism in our society. The prayer cards and other resources to help foster dialogue, action, prayer and healing can be found at https://lacatholics.org/healing/.

“We need to make sure that George Floyd did not die for no reason. We should honor the sacrifice of his life by removing racism and hate from our hearts and renewing our commitment to fulfill our nation’s sacred promise — to be a beloved community of life, liberty, and equality for all,” said Archbishop José H. Gomez. “Let us pray together for the soul of George Floyd, and for his family. And let us pray for all those who are working to put an end to racial injustice in our society.”

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles will toll its bells for 8 minutes and 46 seconds tomorrow at 9 a.m. Prayers for daily Mass at the Cathedral, broadcast on https://www.facebook.com/lacatholics, will be taken from “The Preservation of Peace and Justice” and the “Prayer To Overcome Racism” will be recited before the final blessing.

In his message to our community of faith last week, Archbishop Gomez reminded us that racism is “a blasphemy against God, who creates all men and women with equal dignity. It has no place in a civilized society and no place in a Christian heart.”

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