Archbishop José Gomez

THE SPIRITUALIST

ARCHBISHOP JOSÉ GOMEZ

Los Angeles Archdiocese

photographed by CORINA MARIE at THE CATHEDRAL OF OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS

THE CATHEDRAL of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown L.A. was built to stand for 500 years and carry the work of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles deep into this millennium. “We have mass right now in 42 languages,” says Archbishop José Gomez, who was appointed in 2011. “We try to be attentive to the fact that this is a big city and people from all over the world are here. I think the influence of the church has been very important for Los Angeles.” The $163 million cathedral marks its 20th anniversary this year and represents Catholics across Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties. With walls festooned with artist John Nava’s tapestries depicting a multicultural procession of 136 saints and religious figures, the cathedral, like the archbishop, seeks to fulfill the words inscribed on its cornerstone: “A house of prayer for all peoples.” —S.A.