For Ana Torrento, the May 1 noon Mass that is regularly celebrated at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels was not a regular Mass.
To her it was a reminder of the 11 years she waited to have legal documents to reside and work in the United States. A reminder of the daily stress caused by living so many years in a foreign country with the constant threat of deportation.
So the homily of Cardinal Roger Mahony resounded in Torrento's mind, and in those of her fellow Dolores Mission parishioners who attended the May 1 Mass: "The Church," the cardinal declared, "recognizes the contribution of all the working people in building up our society, our community and our families."
May 1, known as May Day, is Labor Day in Latin American countries and in some European countries. Traditionally, it is an occasion when workers go out to the streets claiming for their rights. For the past three years, grassroots organizations in the U.S. have taken to the streets to request a path to legalization for the more than 12 million undocumented immigrants.
During his homily on the day marking his 47th anniversary of priesthood ordination, Cardinal Mahony reminded those in attendance how this country was built by "waves of immigrants who started arriving in the 1700s after the Declaration of Independence." He expressed solidarity with all working people and said the Church is always striving to ensure that immigrant workers are protected and treated with dignity.
Cardinal Mahony compared the behavior of current society toward workers with the behavior of people in Jesus' hometown, who treated Him unfairly because they could not figure out how a carpenter could have such an intelligent mind and perform miracles.
"Yes, he was a son of a carpenter and a carpenter himself, but he brought a message of love from God to all the people and especially to the working people," the cardinal said.
Not everyone, he added, appreciated that message. But Ana Torrento, Amada Olguín, Esperanza Vásquez, Rosa Campos and Lourdes González understand it. All of them were once undocumented immigrants who now support other undocumented workers who are constantly intimidated by work-site raids, deportation and family separation.
Olguín said they are hopeful that President Barack Obama will be able --- with the help of Congress --- to reform the system. González said they planned to contact their elected representatives in Washington, D.C., and to hold fasts until the situation is solved.
"We don't want any more raids or separation of families," Torrento added.
After the Mass, the women headed to a rally in Echo Park, where hundreds gathered in the name of comprehensive immigration reform.
"This is a day to be visible," said Jesuit Father Scott Santarosa, their pastor at Dolores Mission, whose grandparents also arrived "penniless" to the U.S. from Italy. "By participating in the rally we are looking for the movement's unity. We all want the same thing: we want the government to fix the immigration system."
Concelebrants at the Mass included Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Solis, vicar for Ethnic Ministry and director of the archdiocesan Office of Justice and Peace, and by other priests who work closely with the immigrant community in Los Angeles.
During the Mass, Cardinal Mahony told parishioners there is still much to be done to support farm and domestic workers, the only two workers' segments not included in the National Labor Relations Act approved 74 years ago by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to protect the rights of workers in the private sector through the organization of labor unions.
"This is an unfinished business for the people who are working," said the cardinal, regarding immigration reform. "It is a broken immigration system that needs to be fixed so that all generations can be protected." |