L.A. Catholic Cemeteries to Host Día de los Muertos Celebrations

Catholic Cemeteries & Mortuaries of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles will host again this year Día de los Muertos celebrations at Calvary Cemetery in East Los Angeles on Saturday, October 24 and on November 7 at both San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills and Santa Clara Cemetery in Oxnard. All three events are free and offer a unique opportunity for families to celebrate a Catholic tradition that unites faith, prayer and cultural heritage to commemorate All Souls Day. Each celebration will begin with Mass at noon, followed by a procession and blessing of the altars.

“By commemorating Día de los Muertos, we seek to foster unity and mutual understanding across communities while highlighting the beauty and profound significance of this day. These cultural celebrations allow our communities to celebrate the lives of their loved ones in a very unique and special way uniting cultural traditions, art, and prayer while fostering reflection, connection, and healing,” said Brian McMahon, Director of Community Outreach for Catholic Cemeteries & Mortuaries of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. “We are proud to partner with local artists, community organizations, and church and community leaders to create celebrations that are both meaningful and truly inclusive.”

Día de los Muertos, or the celebration of All Souls Day, is a vibrant faith-based tradition, when the life of the deceased is honored and celebrated through prayer, songs and ofrendas (altars). The community events presented by Catholic Cemeteries & Mortuaries provide an opportunity for families to celebrate a tradition that unites their faith and cultural heritage.

All three community events will feature traditional crafts, displays by local artists and artisans, face painting, and folkloric and Aztec dancers. The community events are free and open to the public featuring traditional massive sawdust and sand carpets (known as tapetes), folkloric dancers, dozens of altar dedicated to faithful departed, activities for children, including arts & crafts, calavera (skull) decoration, face painting, and special performances. Each event will also feature a large-scale community altar where the attendees may display a photo or memento to honor their departed loved ones.

Catholic Cemeteries & Mortuaries will sponsor free churros, esquites, and ice cream, a free photo booth and face painting for children at all of the community events. For more details please visit https://catholiccm.org/diadelosmuertos.

####