OneLife LA’s fifth annual event was truly a remarkable witness from our community to the whole world. This event kicked off the year-long OneLife LA movement that seeks to unite communities, shift the cultural conversation, and drive people to transformative service.
OneLife LA is run through the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Office of Life, Justice, and Peace and is a creative way that the Archdiocese can work directly with communities to protect, defend, and proclaim life. We believe in creating a more loving and kind society where we each reach out and care for our brothers and sisters. We don’t just believe in this possibility but are also actively working within your communities to make this happen. Once a year, we host a gigantic celebration of life with inspirational speakers, rocking music, and community celebrations. This yearly-event inspires us for our year-long work with our Community Partners to provide services to the most vulnerable in Los Angeles. Our diverse partners serve the homeless, migrants, the elderly and sick, pregnant women and at-risk families, the imprisoned, the poor, and the marginalized.
In 2019, OneLife LA has set intentions to make our movement even more effective, more inclusive, and more joy-filled. We learned from major events in 2018 that taught us and shaped our ethos.
In October of 2018, Catholic bishops from all over the world met for the Bishops Synod on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment. This meeting demonstrated the Church’s need to not only connect with but also to work with young people. Because of this, we were inspired to strengthen our focus on engaging and empowering young people to tackle the problems in their own communities. At the fifth-annual OneLife LA, young people literally led the way; university students proudly held our OneLife LA banner as tens of thousands of people from all over Southern California walked in joy and defense of life. OneLife LA will continue to empower young people to lead the way in making their communities better places!
Also in 2018, we witnessed exclusion in many ways. In 2019, OneLife LA will be intentional about being an inclusive movement and organization, one that welcomes and protects all human life, no matter the condition. This includes encouraging communities to work together to lift all members up to achieve true recognition and respect for human dignity.
And finally, 2018 was a year marked with discord. In 2019, OneLife LA will respond with simple kindness — a recognition that even the most complex or harsh problems can be responded to with simple, love-fueled kindness. The world’s problems can feel really overwhelming but OneLife LA knows that if we walk together as brothers and sisters, we all can make tomorrow brighter, day by day.
Will you make 2019 a more intentional year? How will you work within your communities to lift your neighbors and brighten your communities? Get involved with the OneLife LA movement by signing up for our newsletter here!