It’s a day intended for remembering family and friends who have passed from this life, but per the norm, Day of the Dead celebrations across the Archdiocese were fun-filled, vibrant, downright joyous occasions. Over the course of two weekends -- Saturday, Oct. 28, and Saturday, Nov. 4 – a trio of our most storied cemeteries hosted thousands of our faithful for day-long celebrations. At Calvary in East Los Angeles and Santa Clara in Oxnard, the crowds were large, and things felt assuredly normal as they marked their second year of in-person celebrations after the two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The big story, however, was (more...)
Like any other year, our 11 Catholic cemeteries celebrated All Souls Day Masses on Thursday, Nov. 2, but this year’s Mass at Assumption Cemetery in Simi Valley brought another cause for celebration. When the morning Mass concluded, Fr. Riz Carranza of nearby St. Peter Claver Church led a group of his fellow priests, plus deacons, Knights of Columbus, and hundreds of onlookers to a neighboring corner of the cemetery for a second ceremony to bless and dedicate the St. John of Vianney section. The moment surely took on special meaning for some of the clergy there. St. John Vianney is patron saint of parish priests, and the new section will likely be the final resting place for many of those serving across the Archdiocese. (more...)