Thousands of the Catholic faithful from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Dioceses of San Bernardino, Orange, and San Diego united in prayer at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles, during the annual “Mass in Recognition of All Immigrants” on Sunday, Sept. 29.
The colorful Mass procession and celebration honors cultural diversity during the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which Catholics celebrate annually on the last Sunday of September, to highlight the ongoing challenges migrants and refugees face.
Since 1914, the Church has observed the World Day of Migrants and Refugees through Masses and events — offering prayers for their struggles, while raising awareness about the opportunities migration brings, Archdiocese of L.A. officials said in a press release.
This year’s theme from Pope Francis was “God walks with His people,” to emphasize God’s presence during their journey.
Attendees donned traditional white Mexican dresses, with accents of red and green, and other cultural garb. Archbishop José H. Gomez presided over the Mass, which included auxiliary bishops and priests of the L.A. Archdiocese, Bishop Alberto Rojas of the San Bernardino Diocese, and Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Pulido of the Diocese of San Diego.
Relics of St. Junípero Serra, St. Toribio Romo, St. John Baptist Scalabrini and St. Frances Xavier Cabrini — who are all saints of great significance to the Catholic immigrant community — were honored by the faithful.
Parishioner attendees across Southern California included Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, Saint Anne’s Church in Santa Ana, and Holy Family Church in Artesia.
At the Mass, leaders from the Immigration Task Force were honored for their work in supporting and uplifting immigrant families and children, the release said. They received a commemorative pin with a monarch butterfly — often a symbol of migration because of the insects’ high migration patterns — to symbolize the “transformative journey of migration.”
“Many of us here came to the Southland from some other place that is very far away from here. Some of us came here out of choice, others out of necessity,” said Gomez during his homily. “All of us came here with our gifts to give, to make a new home, to make a new life. That’s the story of America, which is a nation of immigrants — one nation formed out of many nationalities and peoples.”
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“Let’s pray today for the renewal of America’s founding vision of one nation under God, where people from every race and language can live as one, in equality, as brothers and sisters.”