“This will be a liturgy to celebrate that we belong,” Auxiliary Bishop Alexander Salazar, director of the archdiocesan Office of Justice and Peace told the organizing committee of a July 22 Immigration Mass to be held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.“We will celebrate the fact that we are citizens of God, children of the same Father,” continued Bishop Salazar, whose office is coordinating preparations for the event. Archbishop José Gomez will preside.During a July 2 follow-up meeting, Msgr. Dave O’Connell told the group that the special Mass is to tell immigrants, “If society doesn’t accept you, the Catholic Church does.” A group of pastors from inner-city parishes has held several meetings to work on an effort to support immigrants hailing from all around the world. It is a practical response to a call from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops stated in the document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility.”Prayer cards inviting parishioners to attend the July 22 Mass, which will feature the Dolores Mission Parish choir and testimonies of undocumented from different countries, have been distributed in parishes since Pentecost. As of this weekend, posters with a painting with the image of an inner-city Virgin Mary, painted by the late Jesuit Father Fernando Arizti, will be distributed throughout the archdiocese.Important announcements will be made during the Mass, the pastors said.For more information about the Immigration Mass, call Jaime Huerta, associate director of the archdiocesan Office of Justice and Peace, (213) 637-7560.{gallery width=100 height=100}gallery/2012/0706/immigration/{/gallery}
