Originally published at Orange County Catholic
THE NINTH ANNUAL Homeless Persons’ Inter-Religious Memorial Service will take place on Dec. 21, bringing together various interfaith representatives to remember the lives lost in the streets of Orange County in 2024.
The service, which begins at 7 p.m. at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Laguna Woods, takes place symbolically on the first night of winter, which is the longest night of the year. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange is among the sponsors.
The service includes reading the names of the lives lost. For each name, a candle is carried across the sanctuary space and placed alongside the others, becoming a stark reminder of the magnitude and tragedy. Last year, 511 names were read.
The Homeless Persons’ Interreligious Memorial Service has included representatives from the Catholic, Episcopalian, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Assyrian Church of the East, African Methodist, Bahá’í, Muslim and Lutheran faiths.
In addition to the Diocese, the service is sponsored by Lutheran Church of the Cross, Our Father’s Table, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, Volunteer Network OC and the Orange County Interfaith Network.
“On this longest night of the year, and so close to the Christmas break, it is
