All Souls Day Mass & Día de Los Muertos 2021

The Catholic Cemeteries & Mortuaries of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Office of Religious Education hosted a virtual Día de los Muertos celebration, on November 1, the Feast Day of All Souls, from  Calvary Cemetery & Mortuary. Due to the pandemic, it is the second consecutive year that the annual event will be virtual since its inception in 2014, drawing thousands from throughout the Archdiocese.

The virtual Día de Los Muertos will feature live music and an outdoor prayer vigil at the cemetery’s Mausoleum, led by Archbishop José H. Gomez. Sacred images will be projected on the front walls of the building. The event will also feature altars honoring the lives of victims of human trafficking, those who have died from mental health conditions, the unborn, lives of those claimed by Covid-19, and fallen service members in Afghanistan, among others. The altars will be built by representatives of the Archdiocese’s departments, including the Office of Life, Justice, and Peace, and the Mission Office and partner organizations. Altars in the Mausoleum Courtyard will remain on display from November 2- 5, 2021 for public viewing during cemetery hours of operations, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Families and friends are encouraged to send copies of photos of their departed loved ones. These photos will be placed at the large-scale community altar and will be blessed during the Vigil. Please send your photos via email to our Community Outreach Department email: outreach@catholiccm.org.

Prior to the Día de Los Muertos vigil, a group of local Catholic School students participated in a virtual Catechetical Day sponsored by the Archdiocese’s Office of Religious Education, where they learned about the meaning and significance of the cultural celebration commemorating All Souls Day according to our Catholic faith. The special catechetical program has been held for seven years, and this is the second year in a row it will be online, due to the pandemic.

On Tuesday, November 2 at 10 a.m., Archbishop José H. Gomez celebrated All Souls Day Mass at 10 a.m., which was livestreamed from Calvary Cemetery & Mortuary on lacatholics.org/ddlm and facebook.com/lacatholics.

For more information, please visit lacatholics.org/ddlm.