Diocese of Buffalo
The Annual Diocesan Mass in Remembrance of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was held and sponsored by the African American Commission of the Diocese of Buffalo on Sunday, January 15 at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church. The theme for this year’s Mass was “Come Spirit I am Called to Act.” Mass attendees were moved by a reflection on the work of Rev. Dr. King that preceded the Mass. As Mary Craig rendered a reflection on the work of Dr. King, she closed with this:
This morning we will take the time to reflect on the importance of remembrance ... We ask ourselves in what ways do we need to continue the progress for change for ourselves, reshaping ourselves from people of comfort to people of prophecy. In case you think 1963 was a long time ago, and we're over it, I beg you to remember not even a year ago, May 14th, 2022. Right down the street, ten innocents were murdered and three injured by someone who felt [by] a reading on the internet that he could save his people. We need to pray in Church. We pray together Lord God; we stand on the shoulders of giants who sacrifice for the sake of the Gospel message. We stand here responsible for the governance of your healing ministry. We are aware of much good work that has been done and we know that there is much more that we have yet to do. Lord, give us a share of the Spirit that guided Dr. King and others like him to be voices for the voiceless. Today we are called to respond to the theme of today's Mass, "Come Spirit I am Called to Act."
Guest Homilist Reverend Avery Daniel from the Archdiocese of Atlanta is currently Parochial Vicar of St. Joseph Catholic Church of Athens and St. Catherine Labouré Church of Jefferson of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Georgia. Fr. Daniel made the point to preach to the congregation about the fact that Christ is an inescapable aspect of being human. He talked about the special infusion of life or spirit that Christ gives us; it is something so divine and powerful, and it also exemplifies the grace that God shows us. It moves within us as a church, nation, and people. Fr. Daniel contends that it was the spirit of God that moved Dr. King and it can also move us. We must seek with the intention to use it. Fr. Daniel shared the importance of understanding the risen and living Christ. We are reinforced with this understanding through our response to receiving communion by saying “Amen.” Fr. Daniel concluded his sermon with the message letting us know that considering the tragedy of the mass shooting, we must be able to bring the world outside into our “local church” to act on the spirit of God with integrity. We should have a strong sense of integrity to say, “Come Spirit I am Called to Act.”
Every year the African American Commission presents the recipients of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Scholarship. The 2023 scholarship recipients were Tredennis Drayton and Jean Marie Musumbu. Presented at the Mass every year is also recipients of the Albert Lenhard Family Scholarship (administered by the St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church) – they were Nicole Ndayishimiye and Emmanuel Agbo-Ito. We extend our congratulations to all scholarship recipients and wish them many blessings in their future endeavors. The St. Martin de Porres Council and Court #94 of the Knights, Ladies, and Junior Daughters of Peter Claver attended Mass in full regalia. Immediately following Mass, the African American Commission coordinated its annual basket raffle supporting the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Scholarship. The African American Commission extends a heartfelt thank you to the generosity of donors supporting the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship fund.
