About 6,000 people participated in the Pilgrimage of Hope to four churches in the city
LOS ANGELES — When the 6,000 pilgrims arrived at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels after a sun-drenched, 7-mile morning walk April 5, they had to face one last challenge: fitting in their destination.
“I’ve been saying lately we need a bigger cathedral,” Archbishop José H. Gomez joked during the Mass, where many had to sit on the floor.
The problem was also the ultimate sign of success for the day’s Pilgrimage of Hope, which brought people through the streets of Los Angeles, starting at All Souls Church in Alhambra, stopping for breaks at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Rose Hill and Our Lady Help of Christians in Lincoln Heights, then ending at the cathedral for a special Mass.
Since Pope Francis has declared 2025 to be a Jubilee Holy Year, the pilgrimage was also an opportunity for pilgrims to receive a plenary indulgence by participating in the event and fulfilling other conditions.
When the first throngs of pilgrims approached the cathedral — sweating and red-faced, but beaming with happiness — there was applause and shouts of praise as they reverently touched the entrance doors on their way into Mass.
“You showed up today expecting Jesus to show up, and show up He did. We filled the streets with prayer and witness and God filled us with his grace,” Father Parker Sandoval, vice chancellor and senior director of ministerial services for the archdiocese, said during the Mass.
“The Church in Los Angeles is alive,” he said, which prompted spontaneous applause.
In his homily, Archbishop Gomez invited the pilgrims to “reflect on how Jesus is calling us to be His instruments, heroes of hope” whether at home, school, church or in society.
“Jesus is sending us into the world to share the hope that we have in Him,” the archbishop said.
The pilgrimage offered plenty of examples of what that hope looks like in person.
Cristina Mazza, a teacher who sings in the choir at St. Dominic Church in Eagle Rock, was walking, hoping for an answer to her desire for motherhood.
“I’m certain of (God’s) presence in my life,” Mazza said. “I’ve seen how my desire has taken shapes that I haven’t thought would be possible, with my students, with my friends. I’ve seen how it’s possible to be a mother in a nontraditional way.”
She and her husband are in the process of becoming foster parents, but even with that clarity, Mazza still looks constantly for God’s guidance.
Ana Tan has been a catechist for three years at St. Mary and Our Lady of the Desert churches in Palmdale, and she offered up her pilgrimage for her and her husband’s confirmation students, who she said are constantly looking for answers.
“I think at the core of it is they’re looking for purpose,” Tan said. “We told them there is one goal in life, it’s to get to heaven. One of the taglines we told them is it’s YOLO (You Only Live Once) for Christ. This life is only temporarily yours, but you may seek permission from God before you do anything.”
Florencia Salanic and her 12-year-old son, both of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Los Angeles, were among those who paused at Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Salanic said the fact that her son was able to accompany her on the journey is a “miracle” in itself, because her son was hit by a car at age 3 and doctors initially said he might never walk again. Today, he’s able to walk and play just like any other child his age, she said.
“I feel happy to be here,” she said. “I am giving thanks to God today for everything he gives me and for my family. God never abandons us.”
