On Tuesday, March 12, 69 students and 12 teachers were honored at the 50th Annual Christian Service Awards Mass presided by Archbishop José H. Gomez at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles.
High school students being honored at the 50th annual Catholic High School Christian Service Awards, attend mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 before the awards ceremony. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Archbishop José Gomez congratulates Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy’s Lauren Larson, one of 69 service awardees honored at the 50th annual Catholic High School Christian Service Awards Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Archbishop José Gomez and Paul Escala, Superintendent of School, pose with Christian service award recipient Josue Roberto Rodriguez, of Verbum Dei Jesuit High School, one of 69 service awardees honored at the 50th annual Catholic High School Christian Service Awards Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
For 50 years the annual Mass, organized by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Department of Catholic Schools, has recognized students and faculty from each of the 49 Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese who “exemplify an outstanding commitment to service in the community,” the church said in a statement.
The livestreamed Mass is seen as a critical component of the church’s mission to teach students to “live by action and witness the gospel message of Jesus Christ in serving our neighbor, especially those most marginalized,” said Erick Rubalcava, chief of mission and Catholic identity for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. She added that the 2024 awardees “are a source of inspiration to all people served by the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.”
