Archbishop José H. Gomez participates in a procession through Altadena following a Mass at Sacred Heart Church honoring families affected by wildfires. The event brought together Catholic leaders, perpetual pilgrims, and community members in prayer and solidarity on Friday, June 20, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) A group of religious sisters participate in the procession through Altadena following a Mass honoring families affected by wildfires at Sacred Heart Church on Friday, June 20, 2025.(Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) A man carries a large cross over his shoulder while participating in the procession through Altadena following a Mass honoring families affected by wildfires at Sacred Heart Church on Friday, June 20, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) Attendees and members of Sacred Heart Church join Archbishop José H. Gomez and other Catholic leaders in a large procession through Altadena following a Mass honoring families affected by wildfires on Friday, June 20, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) A group of priests leads a procession from Sacred Heart Church in Altadena as attendees follow behind, marking the conclusion of a Mass honoring families affected by wildfires. The event, which included perpetual pilgrims, was celebrated by Archbishop José H. Gomez and other Catholic leaders on Friday, June 20, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) Archbishop José H. Gomez speaks during a Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Altadena, part of a ceremony honoring families affected by wildfires and perpetual pilgrims, followed by a Eucharistic procession through Altadena on Friday, June 20, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) A group of priests gathers in front of Sacred Heart Church in Altadena prior to the start of a special Mass and procession with families affected by wildfires, celebrated by Archbishop José H. Gomez and other Catholic leaders on Friday, June 20, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) Priests pray during a Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Altadena, part of a ceremony honoring families affected by wildfires and perpetual pilgrims, followed by a Eucharistic procession through Altadena on Friday, June 20, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) Fr. Jorge Torres, Executive Director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, meets with Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles prior to the start of a special Mass and procession at Sacred Heart Church in Altadena with families affected by wildfires, celebrated by Archbishop José H. Gomez and other Catholic leaders, on Friday, June 20, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) Attendees exit Sacred Heart Church in Altadena at the conclusion of the Mass and prepare to begin a procession through the neighborhood. The event honored families affected by wildfires and welcomed perpetual pilgrims, with a ceremony led by Archbishop José H. Gomez and other church leaders. The photo was taken on Friday, June 20, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) Attendees fill Sacred Heart Church in Altadena during a Mass honoring families affected by wildfires and perpetual pilgrims, part of a ceremony followed by a Eucharistic procession through Altadena on Friday, June 20, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) Candle bearers Gloria Gomez, left, and Pilar Hernandez chat before the start of a Mass and procession at Sacred Heart Church in Altadena with families affected by wildfires, celebrated by Archbishop José H. Gomez and other Catholic leaders, on Friday, June 20, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) Show Caption1 of 12Archbishop José H. Gomez participates in a procession through Altadena following a Mass at Sacred Heart Church honoring families affected by wildfires. The event brought together Catholic leaders, perpetual pilgrims, and community members in prayer and solidarity on Friday, June 20, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) Expand
Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez celebrated Mass for Altadena families affected by the Eaton fire at Sacred Heart Catholic Church Friday evening, as part of the last leg of the 3,300 mile National Eucharistic Pilgrimage.
“It is very emotional to be back in Altadena,” Gomez said in his homily, a religious reflection on how so many can suffer at the hands such a mammoth disaster. “God sometimes allows the people he loves to suffer.”
That disaster, which broke out on Jan. 7, destroyed more than 9,000 structures in Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre, and left 18 dead.
The pilgrimage itself began in Indianapolis and will end in Los Angeles with a Corpus Christi Celebration at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels in Downtown Los Angeles.
However, because of the recent ICE raids and the subsequent immigration-related protests in the area, organizers have scaled back the Downtown LA procession to take place within the Cathedral Plaza.
The Los Angeles leg of the pilgrimage includes visits to wildfire-affected Altadena and Pacific Palisades parishes, Mission San Gabriel, and other parishes in Ventura.
The process on Saturday was set for a morning prayer at Corpus Christi Church in Pacific Palisades, which was burned during the Palisades fire.
Nearly 100 Sacred Heart parish households were lost in the Eaton fire.
After the Mass ended, Gomez, Cardinal Christophe Pierre and Bishop Andrew Cozzens led the hundreds of churchgoers in a mile-long procession down Lincoln Avenue, Ventura Street, Glen Avenue, and Mariposa Street.
Families weeped as they walked through the burn zones and empty lots, singing church hymns, such as “Christ Be Our Light.”
On the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Mariposa Street in Altadena, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church site, many surrounding homes and buildings were burnt down.
As the Eaton fire ravaged its way through Altadena into the morning of Jan. 8, Deacon José Luis Diaz rushed to his parish from the Pasadena Convention Center, where he evacuated to, in an attempt to save Sacred Heart from going up in flames.
With the help of fellow parishioners, a garden hose, and an iron pipe, Diaz was able to beat the encroaching flames from reaching his parish, leaders said.
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