The return of intermittent rain on Sunday, March 31 didn’t dampen the faith of worshipers, but it did shift some services and celebrations indoors and sent other participants under tents and umbrellas. The skies cleared briefly for some services, with sunrise celebrations going on as planned on the wet, chilly morning, the holiest day of the year on the Christian calendar.
Showers that arrived Saturday continued on Sunday — with a chance of thunderstorms forecast — along with strong winds, hail and heavy downpours expected in some parts of Southern California.
The morning was also colder than usual, with temperatures in the mid-40s at sunrise. Temperatures will remain well below normal through Monday, according to the National Weather Service. A high pressure system will move temperatures to well above normal on Tuesday and Wednesday, but rain is possible by the end of the week.
On Easter Sunday, some churches erected tents and other coverings to keep their sunrise services out in the open. The rain relented for some as dawn arrived, however.
With stormy skies briefly clearing on the coast, hundreds celebrated Easter Sunday out in the open, just south of the Hermosa Beach Pier. The crowd, clad in raincoats, beanies and scarves, shivered on the sand but beamed as Rev. Paul Gawlowski, pastor at nearby Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, presided as the sun darted in and out of the clouds.
Gawlowski and his team of organizers were determined to hold Mass on the sand, no matter the weather forecast. Rain wouldn’t spoil the holiest of days on the Christian calendar, said Gawlowski in an earlier interview.
“On Saturday Easter Vigil, we sprinkle people with Holy Water,” he said. “If it rains Sunday, think of it as God sprinkling Holy Water on us.”
As the early morning light illuminated the Hermosa Beach Pier behind him and the rows of beach-chair seated faithful, Gawlowski proclaimed the time-honored Gospel acclamation: “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.”
Sunrise services were moved indoors at the Forest Lawn cemeteries in Covina Hills, Glendale, Hollywood Hills and Long Beach. Forest Lawn-Glendale celebrated its 100th anniversary service, with bilingual services in English and Spanish.
“We are excited to come together for this centennial celebration,” Rodolfo Saenz, Forest Lawn’s senior vice president for marketing said, “to remember the past and honor its traditions, while celebrating the vibrancy of the present.”
The service was followed by a family Easter celebration, including a performance by the Bob Baker Marionettes, an Easter egg hunt, opportunities to take pictures with the Easter Bunny, arts and crafts, a petting zoo and unveilings of Forest Lawn’s monumental Crucifixion and Resurrection paintings.
A pop-up exhibition, “100 Years of Easter at Forest Lawn,” opened Sunday at the Forest Lawn Museum at Forest Lawn-Glendale, featuring paintings, photographs and items from its archives to tell the story of a celebration that grew from a few hundred people in 1924 to more than 30,000 attendees. The exhibit will be on display through July 28.
The feast of the Resurrection of Christ is the oldest and most important Christian celebration. Christians believe that by rising from the dead, Jesus demonstrated his power over sin and death, manifesting his divinity as the Son of God. According to the Christian Scriptures, Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah who offered his life for the sins of the world as was prophesied in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Easter Sunday Mass, the Mass of the Resurrection of Our Lord, was scheduled at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in English at 10 a.m. by Msgr. Antonio Cacciapuoti, the cathedral’s pastor, and in Spanish at 12:30 p.m. by Archbishop José H. Gomez. During the Mass, after renewing their baptismal promises, all faithful would receive a blessing with Easter holy water as a reminder that, in and through Christ, they have died and been born again through the waters of baptism.
The Masses were scheduled to be livestreamed on www.facebook.com/lacatholics and youtube.com/olacathedral over the air on digital Channel 7.2 and on cable on Channels 703 and 1246 on Spectrum, Channel 467 on Frontier, Channel 1133 on Cox and Channel 520 on Mediacom.
In Pomona, leaders at Purpose Church on 586 N Main St. set up tents so they could move forward with its Easter services and baptisms.
The Midnight Mission celebration, which customarily draws about 2,000 people, expected smaller crowds, said Georgia Berkovich, the relief agency’s director of public affairs.
Homeless and near-homeless individuals and families annually get a traditional Easter meal and receive hygiene items. Comedian and The Midnight Mission alum Logan Hobson signed on to portray the Easter Bunny.
“Of the many services The Midnight provides to our unique community, one of the most important is the sense of family we offer to those who often feel lost and forgotten during the holidays and other days of celebration,” Berkovich said.
The two-day storm took its toll on some weekend activities around the region.
The city of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Stadium cancelled Saturday’s Bunny Brunch and VIP Egg Hunt. They’ll issue refunds back to the purchaser’s original payment method, according to the city’s website.
Instead, Pasadena is hosting a makeup event titled “Hop into Spring” on Tuesday, April 2 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. This event will include an open house, mini egg hunt on the field and photo opportunities with the bunny. All guests must register in advance at Bit.ly/HopIntoSpring2024. Information: cityofpasadena.net.
Santa Anita Park cancelled racing on Saturday and Sunday, and moved its Santa Anita Spring Carnival to Thursday, April 4 and Friday, April 5. The Easter Egg Hunt was rescheduled to Sunday, April 7. Racing will resume Thursday April 4. Information: santaanita.com/plan/.
In Garden Grove, the Eggscavation event was canceled, but full refunds will be issued, officials said. Goody bags, however were handed out on Thursday and Friday. And the Easter Bunny planned to appear at the Garden Grove Sports & Recreation Center, 13641 Deodara Drive, on Saturday from 2-5 p.m. More information: (714) 741-5200 or ggcity.org/eggscavation.
Huntington Beach officials rescheduled Saturday’s Easter Hunt & Family Fun Day to Saturday, April 27, at the Huntington Sports Complex, city officials posted on X, formerly Twitter.
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