Moments after the Mass in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington Jan. 5, Kristin Young shared what it meant to her.
“I’m always so appreciative of the bishop celebrating our history,” said Young, a trustee of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Knights of Peter Claver Court 398 in Alexandria. “It’s such a blessing that he takes time out to acknowledge us and acknowledge that Black Catholics exist, that we are here, and we love God.”
In his homily, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge asked, “How can we be rooted in hope when Martin Luther King’s dream for unity and the eradication of all racism and discrimination has not yet been realized? The Word of God just proclaimed provides the answers,” he said. “The prophet Isaiah conveys a message of hope reminding us that the Lord delights in us, makes our land his spouse and will never forsake us.”
Anthony Johnson, of the Wilton Cardinal Gregory Assembly 53 Knights of Peter Claver in Alexandria, participated in the opening and closing processions. “It’s especially an honor to be in the honor guard for the bishop,” he said. “The bishop’s message to us is to keep moving forward in our faith, and that really resonated with me.”
Bishop Burbidge challenged all Catholics to confront “any form of racism and discrimination in our families, workplaces, schools and community,” he said. “We do so by living not merely as citizens, but as faithful citizens and as one nation under God. We do so by embracing all Christians as brothers and sisters and as members of God’s holy family.”
“This Mass brings Black Catholics together, but it also brings unity to everyone in the Catholic faith,” said Junior Knight Anthony Lafond, 17. “We come here today because we know that we can pray and God will hear our prayers.”
Rose Mensah said it was important for those in her Ghanaian Catholic community to support the Mass honoring Martin Luther King Jr. She called attention to the prayer cards for Black Catholic vocations displayed on every table at the reception following Mass. “We must pray for more Black men to be priests and deacons for the church in the USA,” she said. “When we see these cards, we remember, and we can pray for more vocations.”
“There’s a lot of priests from Uganda and Nigeria, but It would be great to see more vocations develop here in all forms of the clergy and religious life,” said Joseph Brooks, chair of the diocesan Black Catholic Ministry. “One of the things we do at St. Joseph’s Church in Alexandria is a vocation challenge. We ask members to sign up and pray the entire week for vocations.”
Bishop Burbidge challenged Massgoers to always be people of hope:
“Dr. Martin King Jr., whose life and witness we honor, shared that hope with others as he said: ‘The God whom we worship is not a weak and incompetent God. He is able to beat back gigantic waves of opposition and to bring low prodigious mountains of evil. The ringing testimony of the Christian faith is that God is able.’ ”
Seated with other women of the Ladies Auxiliary at the reception in Burke Hall, Young smiled, then paused a moment before talking about the experience of Black Catholics in America. “We are just trying to be heard because for so many years we were left out,” she said. “It was like we didn’t exist. But we’ve always been here and we’ve always made significant contributions and we’re going to continue to.”
