The Homeless Persons’ Interreligious Memorial will be held Thursday evening at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, honoring the lives of those who died experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles this past year.
There will be 1,665 candles each inscribed with the name of the deceased on display. During the prayer service Archbishop José H. Gomez and other religious leaders will light candles on the altar representing the life of those who died.
People in attendance will be asked to take a candle as they leave the cathedral and pray for that person’s soul.
The service is being conducted on the first day of winter and the longest night of the year.
The number of candles is based on the number of homeless people who died in Los Angeles from Dec. 1, 2022 through Nov. 3, according to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, citing figures from the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner.
The service organized by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Office of Life, Justice and Peace will be streamed on the cathedral’s YouTube page, youtube.com/olacathedral, beginning at 7 p.m.
