Father Chris Ponnet, the longtime Los Angeles pastor who was widely known for being the lone visitor to hundreds of dying COVID-19 patients at the height of the pandemic, died on Oct. 7. He was 68
Ponnet presided over the annual service honoring the unclaimed dead, as the Los Angeles Times reports.
“Every year, Father Chris Ponnet presided over our interfaith annual service honoring our unclaimed dead in LA County,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn. “He believed in the dignity of every person and served God by serving the least of these —the poor, the sick, the immigrants to our nation.”
While Father Ponnet served as the pastor of the St. Camillus Center for Spiritual Care for over 30 years, he lived a life dedicated to community service. He also served as the site administrator for the Urban Interfaith Chaplaincy Program, training the next generations of chaplains, and was the director of the Los Angeles General Medical Center’s Office of Spiritual Care.
His ministry reached beyond medical systems. Father Ponnet was also a social advocate who spoke out against the death penalty and war. In 2011, he was arrested at a blockade in downtown Los Angeles protesting the war in Afghanistan.
“A shepherd to our community for over 30 years, Fr. Chris lived the Gospel through action — loving the marginalized, lifting the forgotten, and showing us all what true faith looks like,” a statement posted to the St. Camillus Center’s website reads.
He is survived by his sisters Elizabeth and Mary Alice, and his brother, Jim. Father Ponnet was the uncle to more than 20 nieces and nephews.
A vigil service will take place on November 3 at the Saint Luke the Evangelist Church in Temple City, California. The funeral mass will take place at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on November 4.
A livestream of the funeral mass will be available at https://olacathedral.org/live.