Bells tolled at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Tuesday for eight minutes and 46 seconds to coincide with the beginning of George Floyd's funeral in Houston.
Floyd died after being pinned to the ground by a white Minneapolis police officer who placed his knee on Floyd's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. The Los Angeles Archdiocese invited parishes in Southern California to ring bells and offer Mass and prayers for Floyd in solidarity with all of the people honoring Floyd's life as he is laid to rest.
"We need to make sure that George Floyd did not die for no reason. We should honor the sacrifice of his life by removing racism and hate from our hearts and renewing our commitment to fulfill our nation's sacred promise -- to be a beloved community of life, liberty, and equality for all," Archbishop Jose H. Gomez said in a statement. "Let us pray together for the soul of George Floyd, and for his family. And let us pray for all those who are working to put an end to racial injustice in our society."
Parishes have been called to celebrate Mass in his honor using prayers from "The Preservation of Peace and Justice" and to include prayers for the repose of Floyd's soul and for his family's comfort and peace.
In a message last week, Gomez told the faithful that racism is "a blasphemy against God, who creates all men and women with equal dignity. It has no place in a civilized society and no place in a Christian heart."
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles emphasized its commitment to continuing to work to end racial injustice and promote peaceful dialogue, discourse and understanding on race and social justice. Parishes, schools and ministries throughout the archdiocese have received prayer cards in English and Spanish to help the community of faith continue to pray for an end to racism.
