Catholic Mass honors late actress Catherine O'Hara on Valentine's Day

A Catholic Mass for Catherine O'Hara took place on Valentine's Day in Los Angeles.

According to PEOPLE, the ceremony was held at St. Martin of Tours Church in Los Angeles. It occurred a little over two weeks after O'Hara died at 71 on January 31.

On February 9, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed that the comedy icon died due to a pulmonary embolism, as noted in a death certificate acquired by PEOPLE. Rectal cancer was mentioned as the underlying condition leading to the embolism.

Actress Kelly Lynch shared an image of the service program in an Instagram post on Tuesday (February 17).

"Rest in peace, dear Catherine," Lynch, now 67, started the post, quoting a poem by Raymond Carver. "And did you get what you wanted from this life, even so? I did. And what did you want? To call myself beloved, to feel myself beloved on the earth."

O'Hara was celebrated for her roles in movies like Beetlejuice, Home Alone and Christopher Guest mockumentaries such as Best in Show. 

She most recently appeared with Seth Rogen in Apple TV+'s The Studio. She is survived by her husband and children.

In 2024, O'Hara discussed with PEOPLE her time as a waitress at the Second City Theater in Toronto, which introduced her to several lifelong friends and industry icons. 

“I was fortunate enough to observe everyone,” she mentioned about the theater’s renowned talent, including Dan Aykroyd, Joe Flaherty, and family friend Gilda Radner. 

When she auditioned for a spot, Flaherty offered some discouraging feedback.

“He said, ‘Keep up the great work. Your day job, that is: waitressing,’” she told PEOPLE. She didn’t pay heed and eventually secured a position when she auditioned again. 

She joined the troupe in 1974. One of her fellow performers was comedian Eugene Levy, who later became her co-star in Schitt's Creek.

In 1994, a funeral service for O'Hara's close friend and fellow Canadian John Candy occurred at the same church, The Los Angeles Times reported at the time. 

O'Hara subsequently gave a eulogy for Candy, who passed at 43, at his Toronto memorial service that same year.