Cesar Chavez Mass canceled in Los Angeles Archdiocese after bombshell sexual abuse allegations

An annual Mass in the nation’s largest Catholic diocese honoring legendary labor leader Cesar Chavez will not take place this year after a bombshell report alleged that the activist sexually abused multiple girls at the height of his popularity decades ago.

The explosive allegations came on March 18 in an investigation by the New York Times, one that alleged that Chavez abused multiple young girls in a “pattern” of sexual misconduct for years.

The revelations sent numerous organizations scrambling to distance themselves from Chavez, who has loomed large in U.S. politics for decades, including being honored by President Joe Biden with a bust in the Oval Office during his administration.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles said it would not be holding its regular Mass this year honoring Chavez’s legacy. The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels has held an annual Mass in March to acknowledge the advocate’s “commitment to the struggle for justice and dignity for all workers,” but an archdiocesan spokeswoman said the Mass would not take place in at least 2026.

“The Chavez family informed the archdiocese that they had decided not to move forward with having a Mass this year,” the spokeswoman told EWTN News.

The United Farm Workers of America, a labor union founded in part by Chavez, said ahead of the Times’ report that the allegations were “deeply troubling.” The group said it would “not be taking part in any Cesar Chavez Day activities” amid the controversy.

Cesar Chavez Day is normally observed in the United States on March 31, the activist’s birthday. It was first recognized by then-President Barack Obama in 2014.

Internal emails reviewed by the Times said that union leaders have been aware “for years” of allegations of misconduct regarding Chavez, while women he allegedly abused were reportedly discouraged from publicly revealing the allegations.

Openly Catholic during his life and labor efforts — including by regular Mass attendance — Chavez has been celebrated by Catholics for decades for seeking to apply the social teachings of the Church while advocating for better labor conditions for workers.

Chavez has drawn praise from U.S. Catholic leaders in the past. The California Catholic bishops in 2012 hailed the construction of a national monument to the labor advocate, noting that he was “profoundly influenced by Catholic social justice teaching.”

He “strived to be a good disciple of the Lord Jesus by bringing the kingdom of God to the vineyards, fields, and groves of America,” the bishops said at the time.

On its website, meanwhile, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in a resource for educators referred to Chavez as a “champion” of “life and dignity” alongside others such as Dorothy Day and St. Oscar Romero.

Day herself in 1966 hailed Chavez for his labor activities and urged readers to support his advocacy.

Chavez’s activism on behalf of the plight of laborers, Day wrote at the time, is “a result of living for a lifetime with these problems, and the sense that God plays a hand in these events.”