Easter will be observed Sunday in Los Angeles and Orange counties with services and Masses in churches and at beaches and cemeteries, with celebrations set for Skid Row, Santa Monica and Lynwood.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church will celebrate a “Sunrise Mass on the Beach” at 6 a.m. on the sand at 11th Street, south of the Hermosa Beach Pier. The service will be broadcast on 100.9 FM. Like with all beach Masses and services, attendees are encouraged to bring beach chairs or blankets.
A sunrise service conducted by the Manhattan Beach Community Church is scheduled for 6:30 a.m. on the beach north of the Manhattan Beach Pier.
The Easter Sunrise Service at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes is scheduled to begin at 6 a.m., with gates opening at 5 a.m. The service will be streamed on the park’s website, greenhillsla.com.
Indoor sunrise services are also scheduled for 6 a.m. at Forest Lawn memorial parks in Glendale, Hollywood Hills, Cypress, Covina Hills and Long Beach.
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 the Rev. David Gallardo, the cathedral’s pastor, and in Spanish at 12:30 p.m. by Archbishop José H. Gomez.
The Masses will be streamed on youtube.com/olacathedral and broadcast 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.
Sirius XM will broadcast the English Mass on the Catholic Channel, Sirius XM 129.
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.
The Midnight Mission’s annual Easter Celebration and Street Fair will run from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., where more than 2,000 homeless and near-homeless individuals and families will be served a traditional holiday meal and receive hygiene kits.
Vaccines, HIV testing, physical therapy services, clothing, information about health insurance coverage and benefits and services for guests with pets will also be available.
An Easter Community Family Day will be held at Santa Monica’s Reed Park from 9 a.m. to noon, with gift baskets, gift cards and diapers provided for all in attendance. There will also be opportunities to take pictures with the Easter Bunny and a free throw shooting contest with prizes.
The family-friendly Easter Sunday Festival at the Plaza Mexico retail and cultural center in Lynwood will include children’s activities, opportunities to take pictures with the Easter Bunny and live music. It will run from noon to 4 p.m.
In Orange County, the 33rd sunrise service at Fairhaven Memorial Park & Mortuary in Santa Ana will begin at 6 a.m. and include a white dove release and a “special visit from the Easter Bunny.”
Sunrise services will be held at 6 a.m. at Main Beach in Laguna Beach and 6:15 a.m. at the Huntington Beach Pier Amphitheater.
“When Jesus Christ rose from His earthly tomb on Easter morning, He restored our grace, washed our sins, and reconciled humanity with God — fulfilling the ancient prophecy that `He was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity … by His wounds we were healed,” President Donald Trump said in his Easter message. “His suffering won our victory, His love brings us life and His Resurrection is our everlasting hope.
“As we rejoice in this Easter season, we are reminded that the life of Jesus Christ and the truths of the Gospel have inspired our way of life and our national identity for 250 years. From the Christian patriots who won and secured our liberty on the battlefield and every generation since, the love of Christ has unfailingly guided our nation through calm waters and dark storms.”