For the first time, a Christmas Day Mass was held on Thursday inside the Century Regional Detention Facility, bringing a message of hope and forgiveness to women spending the holiday behind bars.
The service was led by Archbishop José H. Gomez, who celebrated Mass with incarcerated women and staff inside the Lynwood facility, the largest women’s jail in Los Angeles County. The Mass included prayer, song and Communion — a moment several inmates said stood out most to them.
During his homily, Gomez emphasized love and forgiveness, telling the women, “So this is what Jesus came to reveal at Christmas, that God is love. Jesus came as a child to show us how much he loves us.”…