Amid un-wintry but not un-SoCal January weather, two New Year’s Day traditions (one a bit older than the other) helped ring in 2012 in greater Los Angeles.
On January 1 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Archbishop José Gomez presided at New Year’s Mass that celebrated the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. In September, the Cathedral will mark its tenth anniversary of service not only to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles but to the entire Southland community. (To see Archbishop Gomez’ New Year’s message, see page 2.)
And on January 2 in Pasadena, the 123rd annual Tournament of Roses Parade made its way along Orange Grove and Colorado Boulevards, this year featuring a float honoring the centennial of Loyola Marymount University in Westchester. The 55-foot float --- funded by gifts from alumni, corporations, parents and friends, and decorated by students and alumni groups --- featured the classic LMU “bluff” letters; the LMU Lion mascot, which roared atop the new William H. Hannon Library; and the iconic Sacred Heart Chapel boasting a 30-foot bell tower that chimed regularly during the parade.
Moreover, reigning over the parade was 16-year-old Drew Helen Washington, a student at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy in La Canada Flintridge. Her royal court included Rose Princess Cynthia Megan Louie, 17, of La Salle High School in Pasadena, located a short walk from the parade’s end.
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