Archbishop José H. Gomez celebrated a special virtual Día de los Muertos prayer service and an All Souls Mass to honor and celebrate the lives of our faithful departed.  For those who were not able to join live, the recordings of both celebrations can be found at https://lacatholics.org/ddlm/ and on our Archdiocesan Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lacatholics/.
The faithful are also encouraged to share photos of their Día de los Muertos “altares” on social media by tagging @lacatholics.
The Catholic Cemeteries & Mortuaries, in collaboration with the Office of Religious Education of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, hosted the Día de Los Muertos celebration in East Los Angeles for the 7th consecutive year, with a virtual Prayer Service led by Archbishop José H. Gomez in the outdoor courtyard of the Mausoleum of Calvary Cemetery and Mortuary in East Los Angeles.  Día de los Muertos, an All Souls Day celebration, is a vibrant faith-based tradition, where the life of the deceased is honored and celebrated through songs, prayer and ofrendas (altars).  This year the celebration was closed to the public due the pandemic restrictions and livestreamed at https://lacatholics.org/ddlm/.
The virtual celebration offered a unique opportunity for families to celebrate from home a Catholic tradition that unites faith, prayer and cultural heritage to honor the faithful departed.  Due to pandemic restrictions, this year only eight altars will be on display at Calvary Cemetery.  They are dedicated to victims of Covid-19, to Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi, to those experiencing homelessness, first responders, and soldier Vanessa Guillen killed in Fort Hood, Texas, among others.  They were built by non-profit organizations, parish ministry groups, students from a Catholic school, and Archdiocese representatives.  The altars were blessed by Archbishop Gomez as part of the vigil.  The public can view the altars from now through November 9th during Calvary Cemetery’s visitation hours (8 a.m.-5 p.m.).  Due to the pandemic, there will be limited spacing for viewing throughout the day and all archdiocesan and LA County Public Health safety protocols will be followed.  All are welcome to visit the displays.