Los Angeles archdiocese to hold day of prayer in response to Dodgers' game event honoring 'drag nuns'

Believers in the City of Angels are pushing back peacefully against an event at Dodger Stadium scheduled for Friday honoring so-called "drag nuns."

Archbishop José H. Gomez of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles invited all area Catholics to a Mass kicking off a day of prayer on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus planned for Friday.

"The Archbishop will celebrate the 12:10 Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels to mark the beginning of a day of prayer in light of the decision by the Los Angeles Dodgers to honor a group that mocks Catholic religious sisters and stages lewd and profane performances aimed at ridiculing Jesus and the Catholic Mass, among other provocations," according to a June 13 release from Angelus News, a publication by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. 

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On Friday evening, the Los Angeles Dodgers will honor the "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence," a charitable drag group that dresses like nuns, at its annual "Pride Night" celebration game. 

"My friends, this Friday, June 16, we celebrate the feast of Jesus’ Sacred Heart. We remember how much he loves us and we ask him to give us a heart like his — meek and humble, and filled with all compassion," tweeted Gomez on Tuesday. 

Gomez went on to say that he would be celebrating a "special Mass" at the archdiocese's cathedral on Friday. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is the largest archdiocese by Catholic population in the U.S.

"We will be praying in a special way for our city and our country, for an end to prejudice, and for renewed respect for the religious beliefs of all Angelenos and all Americans," he said, inviting everyone to join him. 

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the episcopal conference of the U.S., issued a statement on Monday urging Catholics to pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart as an act of reparation. 

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"Catholic Christians traditionally recognize June as the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. During this time, we call to mind Christ’s love for us, which is visible in a special way in the image of His pierced heart, and we pray that our own hearts might be conformed to His, calling us to love and respect all His people," the statement read.

The statement was co-signed by USCCB President Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA; Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, head of the USCCB's religious liberty committee; and Gomez. 

"This year, on June 16 — the day of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus — a professional baseball team has shockingly chosen to honor a group whose lewdness and vulgarity in mocking our Lord, His Mother, and consecrated women cannot be overstated," said the bishops. 

"This is not just offensive and painful to Christians everywhere; it is blasphemy," they said. 

In May, the Dodgers announced that the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were among the groups the team would be honoring with the Community Service Award. The Dodgers then uninvited, then re-invited, the organization after backlash.

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"We have asked the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to take their place on the field at our 10th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night on June 16th," said a May 22 statement from the team. "We are pleased to share that they have agreed to receive the gratitude of our collective communities for the lifesaving work that they have done tirelessly for decades."

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are an organization featuring performers in drag in traditional religious habits. 

The group raises money for various charities serving the LGBT community, according to its website. 

The group is a "leading-edge Order of queer and trans nuns," says the site. "We use humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit."

In addition to the Mass said by Archbishop Gomez, parishes within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles will be having holy hours and prayer events, said Angelus News. 

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CatholicVote, which led the initial protests against the Dodgers, is planning on having a demonstration in Los Angeles outside of Dodger Stadium on Friday. 

The event will feature "speakers, prayers, worship and a procession led by Bishop Joseph Strickland" of Tyler, Texas, says CatholicVote's website. 

"We expect this to be a beautiful contrast of prayer and peace outside while hatred and bigotry are being exhibited inside the stadium," Tommy Valentine, director of CatholicVote's Catholic Accountability Project, said in an article published on the group's website. 

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"We encourage all Catholics in California to come be a peaceful witness against anti-Christian bigotry by the Dodgers," said Valentine. 

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"They need to see the people who are so hurt by this award, and we need to show them love in return."