Los Angeles County Christians welcomed the Lenten season on Wednesday, Feb. 18, starting a 40-day journey of preparation for Easter, focusing on penance for sins and seeking spiritual renewal through prayer, abstinence, and service to others.
Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez led an early-morning Ash Wednesday Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels in Downtown Los Angeles.
Nearly 500 Angelenos attending the Mass received the sign of a cross on their foreheads, made from the ashes of palms burned on Palm Sunday, serving as a symbol of repentance for one’s sins.
“Lent reminds us that we can rediscover ourselves even now,” Gomez said in his early-morning homily. “The ashes we receive today symbolize our mortality, a reminder that we are but dust. Our time on this earth is brief, and we must use it wisely, cherishing this gift of life.”
This marks the beginning of a 40-day period of sacrifice, almsgiving, and renewal that leads to the celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection on Easter. During this season, Catholics engage in Lenten sacrifices by forgoing certain pleasures and abstaining from meat on Fridays, in devotion to Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for mankind.
As the archbishop of the largest Catholic community in the nation, he urged attendees to remember the three pillars of Lent—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—by praying, simplifying their lives, and attending to the needs of others.
This year’s beginning of the Lenten season coincides with a challenging time for Catholics across the country, as federal immigration raids disrupt communities and instill fear in many immigrant families.
As Lent approaches, faith communities beyond just Catholics have blended their faith with advocacy and the political climate of the nation during the Trump administration’s sweeping deportation efforts.
Consequently, churches across L.A. County have enhanced their protective measures to support undocumented congregants since the initiation of extensive federal immigration enforcement in June of the previous year.
In July, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles introduced a Family Assistance Program to provide groceries, meals, and prescription medicine to vulnerable Catholics in Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties, building on a previously established program during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the same month, Bishop Albert Rojas of the Diocese of San Bernardino dispensed the obligation for Catholics to attend mass for those who fear “potential federal immigration actions by civil authorities.”
This fear continues to weigh heavily on Catholics and their commitment to Christ, particularly during holy seasons like Lent. They grapple with maintaining their faith while prioritizing their safety.
Meanwhile, parishioners are exploring ways to reach those living in fear.
In at least one instance, a church in Riverside County is distributing special Lenten packets, including small bags of Lenten ash, to those hesitant to attend church in person.
Earlier this month, Archbishop Gomez held a special mass for immigrants and their families, calling for peace during this time of aggressive immigration enforcement.
On Wednesday, some Catholic priests from the Diocese of Los Angeles attempted to visit the federal immigration center in Downtown Los Angeles to offer ashes and other services to detained immigrants and staff for Ash Wednesday.
“What better way to address the situation than to bring the services to them?” asked Father Brendan Busse, SJ, of Dolores Mission Church, in reference to families with relatives in detention or those who cannot attend mass due to fear.
On Wednesday morning, those priests were denied entry into the center, even after notifying the facility about their arrival in advance.
Busse expressed his disappointment at being denied access to the detention center to offer services that Catholics should be able to receive, especially during such a significant time for the faithful.
However, the priests managed to distribute some ashes to families awaiting court appointments on the south side of the federal immigration building.
Then they were instructed that they could not provide those services in that location.
Last summer, Busse witnessed a decline in his parish’s attendance amid aggressive federal immigration raids in the city.
“Every member of our parish has been impacted,” said Busse. “Everyone feels the anxiety and fear of this situation.”
Nonetheless, the decline has mostly been temporary, as his parish has shown “solidarity” with one another. He noted that rapid-response networks have fostered a sense of safety within the mission, along with at-home services and financial support from the diocese aiding those Catholics who have remained home during this challenging period.
“[Our mission] is rooted in a long tradition of welcoming those seeking pastoral care and services and meeting them where they are,” Busse stated.
Julianna Lozada is a correspondent with the Southern California News Group.
