More than 3,000 students packed the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown LA Wednesday for the annual Los Angeles Missionary Childhood Association (MCA) Mass.
Organized by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ Mission Office, the annual liturgy celebrated the contributions of local youth who help underserved children around the world. The Mass, which was presided by Archbishop José H. Gomez, drew students from Catholic schools around the archdiocese.
Homilist Msgr. Terrance Fleming, who serves as Executive Director of the Mission Office and as pastor of St. Brendan’s in Hancock Park, took the opportunity to ask the students to say one “Hail Mary” a day for those in the missions.
“Not just for the missionary priests, sisters, and brothers, but also for the children in need of help,” he told them.
The schools present were honored for their fundraising efforts in this year’s campaign to help those affected by the earthquake that struck Indonesia in September 2018. The total raised was $31,133.36.
Three students were recognized by the Lay Missionary Helpers for their extraordinary essays about missionary work within the Church. The students come from Nativity School in El Monte, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Montebello, and Santa Clara School in Oxnard.
Also honored during the Mass were two national finalists for the 2018-2019 School Year National MCA Christmas Artwork Contest. The finalists come from Holy Family School in South Pasadena and Holy Trinity School in San Pedro. Copies of their work will be on display in one of the chapels at the Cathedral during Advent this year, while their original artwork will be on display in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in DC.
The MCA is one of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States that helps raise awareness among local children about their peers’ needs in countries with development disadvantages. The Mass stream can be found here:
