THE DIOCESE HOSTED THE 10th annual Homeless Persons’ Inter-religious Memorial Service at the Christ Cathedral campus to honor those who died on the streets of Orange County in the past year. The Dec. 21, 2025, service opened with a procession and included a candle of remembrance for each life lost.
This service welcomed representatives from various faiths, including Islam, Judaism and Unitarian Universalism. It is ceremoniously held each year on the Dec. 21 winter solstice: the longest, darkest night of the year.
“Let us become the voice for those who are not heard or seen by most,” said Fr. Al Baca, director of the Office of Ecumenism and Inter-religion, which helps organize the service. “Our brothers and sisters are experiencing homelessness, and with this memorial we say their lives do matter, and we mourn their deaths.”
The Orange County Register published a story about the annual Homeless Persons’ Inter-religious Memorial Service. It noted that around 300 died “with no fixed abode” in 2025, a large drop from previous years.