Archbishop Gomez Celebrated Mass for Peace ‘In Our Streets, neighborhoods & hearts’

Archbishop José H. Gomez celebrated a special Mass today for peace at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles uniting in prayer with Catholics across the country and answering the invitation of Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “to pause before the Lord in a Holy Hour for Peace—a time of renewal for our hearts and for our nation.”

“Today, we join our prayers with those of our Catholic brothers and sisters all across our country,” said Archbishop Gomez as he began the homily. “We pray for peace. Peace in our streets and neighborhoods, and peace in our hearts.”

“We pray for government leaders, law enforcement officers, and for those protesting and defending the immigrant families caught up in this struggle — in Los Angeles, in Minneapolis, and in so many other cities. We ask the Lord to take away the spirit of confrontation and give us a spirit of cooperation. We ask Jesus to open every hardened heart and awaken again the conscience of America.”

The Mass was followed by a Holy Hour for Peace to unite the faithful in Los Angeles in prayer for reconciliation and peace in the wake of unrest resulting from immigration enforcement actions. The Holy Hour was led by Cathedral Pastor Fr. David Gallardo.

“Let’s keep close to our immigrant brothers and sisters. Let them know that nothing can ever separate them from the love of God!” said Archbishop Gomez. “In this moment we are also called to help our country to recover her national story of liberty and equality under God.”

Parishes across the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which is comprised of Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties, were encouraged to hold a Holy Hour for Peace today in their communities. For those unable to be present today, the Archdiocese warmly encourages participation through personal prayer—praying the Rosary, reflecting on Sacred Scripture, or offering any Catholic prayer for peace—uniting hearts across our parishes and homes in trust in God’s mercy and love.

“We are in a tense moment, a time of division and even violence. But our country has faced hard times before and overcome them,” said the Archbishop as he closed the homily. “We can do that again, with prayer and moral seriousness, with the spirit of nonviolence, and with a commitment to America’s founding principles.”

The Mass and Holy Hour livestream is available at https://www.youtube.com/user/olacathedral. Video of today’s homily by Archbishop Gomez is available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0ITv1BctNY. For more information visit https://lacatholics.org/day-of-prayer-for-peace/.

The full text of the Archbishop’s homily follows.

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Homily – Day of Prayer and Holy Hour for Peace

(as prepared)

Most Reverend José H. Gomez

Archbishop of Los Angeles

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

February 4, 2026

My brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today, we join our prayers with those of our Catholic brothers and sisters all across our country.

We pray for peace. Peace in our streets and neighborhoods, and peace in our hearts.

We pray for government leaders, law enforcement officers, and for those protesting and defending the immigrant families caught up in this struggle — in Los Angeles, in Minneapolis, and in so many other cities.

We ask the Lord to take away the spirit of confrontation and give us a spirit of cooperation. We ask Jesus to open every hardened heart and awaken again the conscience of America.

In the Gospel passage we just heard, Jesus comes back to His homeland, but He finds that His countrymen have closed their hearts to His mighty deeds and message of love.

Jesus is saddened by this: “He was amazed at their lack of faith.”

This passage makes me reflect on what’s going on in our country. We’re in a moment when it seems like many have lost faith in America’s promise and her founders’ vision.

And it is sad that this is happening this year, when we are celebrating our nation’s 250th anniversary. This should be a time for renewal, not a time of retreat.

My friends: America’s founders dreamed that this would be a land where men and women from every race and faith, from every national background, could live with dignity.

As Americans, as Christians, we have to speak out for the dignity of the human person.

Every crisis is a crisis of saints. So now is the hour for our Christian witness. It is our duty as followers of Jesus, to help America recover her soul.

Jesus calls His followers to be people who heal, and make peace, and bear witnesses to His love.

He calls us to love our enemies and to pray for those who oppose us. That means we need to treat others with dignity and respect, even if we don’t share their point of view, even if they have a different vision for our country.

So, we pray today for the strength to be more disciplined in our words, more restrained in our actions. We pray for the grace to see the humanity of those around us, especially those who oppose us.

My brothers and sisters: we share this beautiful vision — the vision of Jesus, the vision of America’s founders.

This beautiful vision of every man and every woman as a child of God, made in God’s image, with a sanctity and dignity that must be cherished and fostered.

The most beautiful witness we offer is our solidarity with those who are suffering.

So, let’s keep close to our immigrant brothers and sisters. Let them know that nothing can ever separate them from the love of God!

In this moment we are also called to help our country to recover her national story of liberty and equality under God.

We need to help our neighbors to see the beautiful vision that we see. We need to find new ways to summon the best of the American character, “the better angels of our nature,” as someone once said.

We are in a tense moment, a time of division and even violence. But our country has faced hard times before and overcome them.

We can do that again, with prayer and moral seriousness, with the spirit of nonviolence, and with a commitment to America’s founding principles.

We ask Immaculate Mary, patroness of America, to pray for us. May she help us to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with her Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.