Community celebrates Dr. King’s legacy

The congregation sang a hymn during the 31st annual Archdiocesan Community Wide Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Jan. 16 at the Cathedral of the Assumption, 433 S. Fifth St. They were among dozens who took part in the service. (Record Photo by Ruby Thomas)
The congregation sang a hymn during the 31st annual Archdiocesan Community Wide Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Jan. 16 at the Cathedral of the Assumption, 433 S. Fifth St. They were among dozens who took part in the service. (Record Photo by Ruby Thomas)

By Ruby Thomas, Record Staff Writer
On Jan. 16, a day after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 87th birthday, dozens turned out to remember his legacy at the Archdiocesan Community Wide Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.

The 31st annual celebration took place at the Cathedral of the Assumption, 433 S. Fifth St., and focused on the theme “How Great is Our God.”
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, who presided, reflected during his homily on what it means to love others and, particularly, the Rev. King’s ability to love people.

The day’s Gospel reading, which came from chapter five in the Gospel of Matthew, addressed Jesus Christ’s commandment to love one’s enemies. Archbishop Kurtz said these teachings are difficult for many, even for him, to accept.

“It makes me think back to who misjudged me, those who got it wrong and those who got it right” but weren’t merciful, said the archbishop. “It’s not easy to love our enemies, but Dr. King listened to these teachings.”

The barriers placed in Dr. King’s way because of the color of his skin did not stop him from speaking out against injustices, the archbishop said, calling on his listeners to oppose injustice, as well.

“Every blessed one of us is precious in God’s eyes,” said the archbishop. “Some kids grow up without the advantages that others have; as Catholics we need to oppose that.”

The church is not perfect, but it has a heritage of doing what’s right, the archbishop told the congregation.

The Archdiocesan Gospel Choir provided music at the celebration Jan. 16. (Record Photo by Ruby Thomas)
The Archdiocesan Gospel Choir provided music at the celebration Jan. 16. (Record Photo by Ruby Thomas)

He noted that the U.S. bishops’ 1979 pastoral letter, “Brothers and Sisters to Us,” called racism a “sin” and urged action to eradicate it.

He also noted the decision of Cardinal Joseph Ritter to integrate Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in 1938, well before the 1954 Supreme Court decision that integrated schools across the country.

“He was at the forefront and that’s a heritage we need to keep,” said Archbishop Kurtz. “We don’t need to be in the back of the parade.”

During his reflection, Archbishop Kurtz highlighted a new program called “Pivot to Peace” — an effort by KentuckyOne Health and several area organizations to provide outreach to victims of violence.

“Pivot to Peace” aims to help survivors of gun and knife injuries, many from West Louisville, work toward a “healthy non-violent life” by connecting them to resources in the community. (A story about the program appeared in The Record Jan. 14).

“We’re not supposed to just treat people and send them on their way,” said the archbishop. “We need to reach out to people and solve the problems the way Jesus Christ told us to — through a path to peace. We will never regret the efforts we make to be ambassadors of peace.”

David Winkler — a parishioner of St. Raphael Church who attended the event with his wife and teenage grandson — said he thinks of the Rev. King as a “modern-day prophet.”

Winkler said the work King did “freed blacks and whites” from being in an unhealthy relationship with one another.

“He knew every time he went out that he might not return home,” said Winkler. “He did it for the others, for them to get to a place he wasn’t going to get to.”

Winkler noted that Rev. King not only had courage and inner strength, but also the gift of being a “powerful speaker” who could convey his message to the people.

“He deserves his place there for what he did for America and what he gave for America,” Winkler said, pointing to a picture in the program of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Loueva Moss, a member of Christ the King Church who attended the celebration, said she grew up in a time when “we didn’t have freedom.” Because of this, she said, the Rev. King “means everything” to her.

“When he came into my life with the movement, his spirituality and hope, he meant everything to me,” said Moss. “He means everything to us as a people of God.”

Moss said the Rev. King’s dream is still alive, but it’s up to each person to keep it that way. One of the ways to keep that dream alive is to take action to try and heal “the fractured state of the family” in the black community, among many other things, she said.

“It’s up to us. We need to get involved. We need to get out of the pews and take the church out into the community,” she added.

The celebration included music by the Archdiocesan Gospel Choir and the Catholic Enrichment Center Women Drummers, as well as a liturgical performance by the St. Martin de Porres Children of Faith group.

Ruby Thomas
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Ruby Thomas
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