As wildfires in and around Los Angeles continued to spread and claim lives, Archbishop José H. Gomez of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles called on Catholics to support and comfort the “thousands of our neighbors” who have “lost everything: their homes and livelihoods, their parishes and schools, and their communities.”
Archbishop Gomez presided at a special Mass for fire victims at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown LA. He was joined by Auxiliary Bishop Matthew Elshoff and several priests, including the pastor of Corpus Christi Church in Pacific Palisades, which was destroyed in the fire, Msgr. Liam Kidney.
Several parishioners of Corpus Christi and families whose homes were lost in the Palisades fire also attended.
Msgr. Kidney, in remarks at the end of Mass, said, “We’re going to get a chance to prove that the Church is the people, not the building." Vowing to rebuild the community, he quoted St. Junipero Serra, who said, “Always forward, never back (siempre adalante, nunca atras).”
Be instruments of God's love
As of midday Friday, the death toll in the wildfires stood at 10. More than 35,000 acres have burned and at least 10,000 homes and other structures have been lost.
“These are difficult and challenging days for our city and county and our local Church,” Archbishop Gomez said in a homily. “As we pray, the wildfires keep burning around us and, as we know, the damage continues to be devastating. … We are reminded today how precious every life is, and how fragile. We are reminded also that we are brothers and sisters, that each of us — we all belong to the family of God.”
Gomez urged listeners to “be the instruments” of God’s love in extending any help they can to their neighbors.
“Because God has loved us first, we can love as we have been loved, and we can love as he has loved us,” said the archbishop. “So my brothers and sisters, love is what is asked of us in this moment — in this challenging moment. As St. John tells us today: ‘Whoever loves God must also love his brother.’
“In this moment, God is calling each of us to be the instruments through which he shows his love and compassion and care to those who are suffering," he continued. "We must be the ones who bring comfort to our neighbors in this time of disaster. And we must be the ones also who stand by their side and help them to rebuild and go forward with courage and faith and hope in God.”
Gomez called for continued prayers for all suffering from the devastation of the fires and for the firefighters and first responders who are on the front lines to stop the fires and protect and save lives.
Raising funds
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has created a Wildfire Victims Emergency Relief Fund to help all those suffering from the recent fires and has asked parishes to hold a second collection during the month of January.
The fund will provide financial support to victims of the fires for food, clothing and other needs. Donations to help the victims of the fires can also be made online at https://lacatholics.org/california-fires/.
The archbishop also celebrated Mass on Thursday evening at Mission San Gabriel Arcángel and was scheduled to do so at Incarnation in Glendale on Friday evening, January 10.
The Masses are livestreamed at this link: https://lacatholics.org/california-fires/.
