THOUSANDS TO JOIN ARCHBISHOP GOMEZ FOR SPECIAL MASS IN SOLIDARITY WITH IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY
August 29, 2019  |  By:   |  Press Releases  |  

–A group of faithful from Orange County will walk 60-mile pilgrimage for sixth consecutive year; former unaccompanied minor who is now a college student will offer her testimony–

Thousands of faithful, including those from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Dioceses of San Bernardino, Orange, San Diego and Fresno are preparing to unite in prayer to celebrate the immigrant spirit of the U.S. at the Mass in Recognition of All Immigrants presided by Archbishop José H. Gomez on Saturday, September 7 at 3 p.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles.

“We gather again this year to celebrate our communities and cultures and to give thanks for the gifts and talents that our immigrant brothers and sisters continue to bring to our great country,” said Archbishop Gomez. “In light of the tensions in our country and the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas recently, we pray especially this year for the grace to help our society see our common humanity — that we are all children of God, meant to live together as brothers and sisters, no matter the color of our skin, the language we speak, or the place we were born.”

For nine days leading up to the Mass, parishes throughout the tri-county (Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles) Archdiocese will partake in a novena, nine days of prayer and reflection, starting on Thursday, August 29, focusing on immigrants, refugees and human trafficking victims. The novena aims to unite Catholics in spiritual preparation for the Mass and during uncertain times for the immigrant community.

On Thursday, September 5, a group of faithful from Orange County will begin a three-day, 60-mile walking pilgrimage, for the sixth consecutive year, from Santiago de Compostela Parish in Lake Forest to the Mass to pray for all those impacted by the broken immigration system. The pilgrimage called “Siempre Adelante” (Always Forward) is in honor of St. Junípero Serra, as it follows part of the same route, he traveled with fellow missionaries to establish the first nine missions in California. The group will arrive at the Cathedral on Saturday, September 7 just a couple of hours before the Mass.

The bilingual celebration on September 7 will begin with a pre-gathering procession inside the Cathedral at 2:30 p.m., including leaders and ministry groups from parishes throughout Southern California, as well as people impacted by the broken immigration system. Dozens of community leaders and volunteers serving the immigrant community will be recognized, and a testimony will be delivered by Daniela Luna, 20, who entered the country as an unaccompanied minor to reunite with her mother in Los Angeles after two attempts to seek asylum in the U.S. She started attending college this year. “I’m very excited to be able to participate at this Mass to recognize all immigrants and to be able to share my experience, which might serve as an example to other youth,” said Luna.

The relics of St. Junípero Serra, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini and St. Toribio Romo will be on display during the Mass, and available for veneration by the faithful after the Mass. The three saints are of great significance to the Catholic immigrant community in the U.S. from its founding to present day.

The Mass will be live streamed via https://www.facebook.com/lacatholics/. For more information, visit https://thenextamerica.org/.

**NOTE** following Mass promotional materials are available:

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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.