Los Angeles County Christians usher in Lent, with calls to ‘make the most of the gift of life’

Los Angeles County Christians ushered in the Lenten season on Wednesday, Feb. 18, beginning a 40-day journey of preparation for Easter anchored in penance for sins and the search for spiritual renewal through prayer, abstinence and service to others.

Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez presided over an early-morning Ash Wednesday Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels in Downtown Los Angeles.

Nearly 500 Angelenos at the Mass received the smudge of a cross on their foreheads, made from the ashes of the palms burned on Palm Sunday, a symbol of repentance for one’s sins.

“Lent tells us that even now, we can become ourselves again,” Gomez said in his early-morning homily. “The ashes that we receive today are a sign of our mortality, a sign that we are all but dust. We are put here on this earth for only a little while. We need to redeem the time, make the most of this gift of life.”

It was the first of a 40-day period of sacrifice, almsgiving, and renewal leading to the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter. During this season, Catholics participate in a Lenten sacrifice by giving up certain pleasures and abstaining from eating meat on Fridays, rooted in devotion to Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for the sins of man.

The archbishop, who serves the country’s largest Catholic community, also encouraged attendees to remember the three pillars of the Lenten season—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—by prayer, living with less and giving more, and attending to the needs of others.

The beginning of the Lenten season this year comes at a precarious time for Catholics nationwide, as federal immigration raids continue to tear through American cities and stoke a sense of fear in many immigrant communities.

As the Lenten season approached, faith communities across the region, not just Catholics, have straddled their faith, advocacy and the politics of a nation in the midst of the Trump administration’s massive deportation campaign.

As a result, churches across L.A. County, since the beginning of sweeping federal immigration enforcements in June of last year, have taken more precautionary measures to protect and support undocumented congregants.

Last July, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles launched a Family Assistance Program to deliver groceries, meals, and prescription medicine to vulnerable Catholics in Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties, building off an existing program that functioned during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the same month, Bishop Albert Rojas of the Diocese of San Bernardino lifted the obligation to attend mass for Catholics who fear “potential federal immigration actions by civil authorities.”

That fear continues to put a strain on Catholics and their obligation to Christ, especially in such holy seasons like Lent. They’re forced to grapple with maintaining their faith while also protecting their safety.

Parishioners, on the other hand, are trying to find ways to reach the faithful living in fear.

In at least one case, a Riverside County church is distributing special Lent packets, complete with small baggies of Lenten ash, to be delivered to those too fearful of coming in person to a church.

At the beginning of the month, Archbishop Gomez led a special mass for immigrants and their families, calling for peace amidst aggressive immigration enforcement.

And on Wednesday, a handful of Catholic priests from the Diocese of Los Angeles went to the federal immigration center in Downtown Los Angeles to attempt to distribute ashes and other services to detained immigrants and employees inside the building for Ash Wednesday.

“What better way to respond to the situation than by bringing the services to them?” asked Father Brendan Busse, SJ, of Dolores Mission Church, for families with loved ones in detention or who cannot attend mass out of fear.

On Wednesday morning, those priests were denied entry into the center, despite sending a letter ahead of time notifying the center of their arrival.

Busse said he was “very disappointed” to be denied entry into the detention center to offer what he stated Catholics have the right to receive, especially during such an important time for the faithful.

The priests were able to, however, distribute some ashes to families waiting in line for court appointments on the south side of the federal immigration building.

Then, security told them they couldn’t offer those services there.

Last summer, Busse said he saw a drop in his parish’s attendance amidst the height of federal immigration raids in the city.

“All members of our parish have been affected,” said Busse. “All are fearing the fear and anxiety of this moment.”

But that decline has been largely temporary, since his parish has acted “in solidarity” with one another. He said that rapid-response networks have created a sense of safety in the mission, and the availability of at-home services and financial support from the diocese has supported Catholics who’ve stayed home during this intense period.

“[Our mission] has a long tradition of not only opening our doors and welcoming people looking for pastoral care and services, but meeting them where they are,’ Busse said.

Julianna Lozada is a correspondent with the Southern California News Group.