Marian procession to mark Los Angeles' 235th birthday

Los Angeles, Calif., Aug 18, 2016 / 08:10 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Later this month, a Marian Procession and Votive Mass will help celebrate the 235th anniversary of the city of Los Angeles, California – which was named after Mary, Queen of Angels.

The August 27 festivities, hosted by the Queen of Angels Foundation, will be open to the public. A Votive Mass will be held at 3 p.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. At 4:15 p.m., a Grand Marian Procession to the Our Lady Queen of Angels Church “La Placita” in Olvera Street will take place, concluding with a blessing at 5:15 p.m.

Leading the 6th Annual Grand Marian Procession will be Bishop Robert Barron, Auxiliary Bishop for the Santa Barbara Pastoral Region. He will also celebrate the Votive Mass.

“It is an honor to be able to participate in this celebration of the history of the City of Los Angeles and the Catholic heritage that remains as important to all of us today as it was to our ancestors,” the bishop said.

“This is a great city and it is most appropriate that any celebration of the city take note of the important contribution of those Catholics who in many ways made Los Angeles what it is today,” Bishop Barron continued. “I’m very much looking forward to joining with the many faithful people who will come together to shine a light on the historical bonds between the city they love and their desire to serve God.”

Other participants in the procession will include members of the Knights of Columbus, the Knights of Peter Claver, the Order of Malta, the Order of St. Lazarus, the Order of St. Gregory, and the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher, along with lay and religious members of the archdiocese.

The Queen of Angels Foundation is a non-profit group that works to foster devotion to Our Lady of the Angels, the patroness and protector of Los Angeles city, county and archdiocese.

“For the sixth year in a row the catholic community in Los Angeles is coming together to celebrate the city’s birthday and pray for the protection of The Blessed Mother and the Queen of Angels,” said lawyer Mark Anchor Albert, who founded the Queen of Angels Foundation. “It is a great honor to have Bishop Robert Barron join us this year for the procession.”