With public Masses suspended and churches closed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Archdiocese of Los Angeles announced a partnership with Univision Los Angeles to bring Masses to homebound Catholics six days a week.
The Masses, celebrated in Spanish from the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, will be broadcast live on UniMas KFTR-TV (channel 46) Monday-Friday and Sunday at 7 a.m. The partnership is intended to reach in a special way Catholics without internet access or cable in their homes.
In addition, Archbishop José H. Gomez will continue to celebrate private Masses at the cathedral broadcast live to faithful via internet livestream. Priests throughout the archdiocese are also offering livestreams of their Masses to the homebound from several parishes.
Although TV stations typically set their programming schedules months in advance, the agreement between the archdiocese and Univision was worked out in a matter of days.
“This situation is not the norm, and given the crisis we are facing, Univision found it imperative to get this done as soon as possible, to help provide Mass for the thousands of faithful who cannot leave their homes,” said Mayola Delgado, director of community empowerment and communications for Univision Los Angeles. “We know the importance of religious services, and wanted to contribute to viewers’ well-being in any way we could.”
Delgado referenced other times when Univision and the archdiocese had worked together, bringing the Mass into viewers’ homes on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and providing coverage on “topics of mutual importance, like immigration.”
“Univision has had a long-standing relationship with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in providing a service to the community," she told Angelus. "We are living in a never-before-seen time, and now more than ever, we need to do our part to help keep our views connected, and contribute to providing a sense of optimism and calm.”
Univision Los Angeles and Unimas Los Angeles will be promoting their daily Mass broadcasts on their channels, as well as on their social media platforms. The Mass will also be offered via the Univision 34 Los Angeles Facebook page.
English and Spanish Masses are also available on cable, radio and via the internet on El Sembrador (ESNE) TV/Radio, Guadalupe Radio, Relevant Radio and The Catholic Channel on Sirius XM.
“Being able to bring the celebration of the Eucharist and the word of God directly to our community of faith is a great blessing,” said Archbishop Gomez. “Our Catholic community is doing our part to limit the spread of this global public health threat by suspending Masses at all parishes for the first time in the history of our archdiocese.
“Even though we cannot publicly gather in communion to celebrate our faith together during these difficult times, I encourage our faithful to continue to participate in the holy Mass via television, radio, and online, so that we may continue to pray together for the Lord’s grace and mercy in our time of need.”
