Easter will be marked Sunday in Los Angeles County not only by Masses and services in churches, but also by sunrise services at beaches and Forest Lawn cemeteries and The Midnight Mission’s traditional celebration.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church will celebrate a “Sunrise Mass on the Beach” on the sand at 11th Street, south of the Hermosa Beach Pier at 6 a.m. Those planning on attending are advised to bring a beach chair or blanket and to consider bringing a radio as the Mass will be broadcast on FM 100.9.
A sunrise service will be held on the beach north of the Manhattan Beach Pier at 6:30 a.m., conducted by the Manhattan Beach Community Church, which is affiliated with the United Church of Christ.
Revive LA Church will hold its third annual Easter sunrise service at 6:31 a.m. by Tower 8 on Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades at Temescal Canyon Road at Pacific Coast Highway. Would-be-attendees are asked to “please RSVP if possible” at www.eventbrite.com/e/easter-sunrise-service-will-rogers-state-beach-tickets-588712664427.
Mt. Olive Lutheran Church will hold an Easter service at 7 a.m. on Santa Monica Beach, south of Lifeguard Tower 26. Bringing a beach chair or blanket is suggested.
Easter sunrise services are set to begin at 6 a.m. at the Forest Lawn cemeteries in Covina Hills, Hollywood Hills and Long Beach and the Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks-Griffin Mortuary, Crematory & Memorial Park in Westlake Village.
Easter Sunday Mass, the Mass of the Resurrection of Our Lord, will be celebrated at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in English at 10 a.m. by Msgr. Antonio Cacciapuoti, the cathedral’s pastor, and in Spanish at 12:30 p.m. by Archbishop José H. Gomez.
The Masses will be livestreamed on www.facebook.com/lacatholics and lacatholics.org/holyweek, on digital Channel 7.2, Channels 703 and 1246 on Spectrum cable, Channel 467 on Frontier cable, Channel 1133 on Cox Cable and Channel 520 on Mediacom.
During the Mass, after renewing their baptismal promises, all faithful will receive a blessing with Easter holy water as a reminder that, in and through Christ, they have died and been born again through the waters of baptism.
The feast of the Resurrection of Christ is the oldest and most important Christian celebration. Christians believe that by rising from the dead, Jesus demonstrated his power over sin and death, manifesting his divinity as the Son of God. According to the Christian Scriptures, Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah who offered his life for the sins of the world as was prophesied in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Sixth Street will be closed in front of The Midnight Mission to accommodate the nearly 2,000 homeless and near-homeless individuals and families who will be served a traditional Easter meal and receive hygiene items.
The Midnight Mission expects to serve 2,000 pounds of herb chicken, 45 gallons of gravy, 1,000 pounds of honey glazed spiral ham, 1,000 pounds of garlic mashed potatoes and 700 pounds of seasonal vegetables, according to Georgia Berkovich, its director of public affairs.
The actor Mr. T is expected to be among the more than 200 corporate and community volunteers preparing and serving food.
There will also be an Easter Village where children will be able to meet the Easter Bunny, played by comedian and The Midnight Mission alumnus Logan Hobson, and receive baskets full of candy and other treats.
“Of the many services The Midnight provides to our unique community, one of the most important is the sense of family we offer to those who often feel lost and forgotten during the holidays and other days of celebration,” Berkovich said.