BY KATHI STEARNS

Staff Writer

ATLANTA--The non-violent struggle of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the contemporary challenge of justice was the theme of a prayer service honoring the slain civil rights leader Jan. 13 at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

The 12th annual archdiocesan celebration was formed around the Scripture, "I will make you a light to the nations," taken from the Old Testament Book of Isaiah. The celebration emphasized the call of each individual to serve the community by working for peace and justice.

Six people nominated by archdiocesan parishes and Catholic institutions were honored with peace and justice awards.

Howard Brown, director of the Office for Black Catholic Ministry, announced the awards, which were presented by Msgr. Donald Kenny, chancellor.

"There are people in our midst today who continue to echo Dr. King's prophetic voice," Brown said. "They are people who are longing for peace; they are people who are longing to hear someone say to them 'Let my people go.' It is they whom we wish to acknowledge today so that they might continue being an inspiration to all of us and a light to all nations."

Eugene Brisbane, a mathematics teacher at St. Pius X High School, and parishioner of St. Thomas More, Decatur, was recognized for his work as moderator of Amnesty International. He has orchestrated numerous letter writing campaigns which address human rights issues and support unjustly incarcerated political prisoners around the world.

Jeanette Callahan, a parishioner of St. Jude the Apostle, Sandy Springs, has for the past five years prepared and served meals every Thursday to over 100 people at Our Lady of Lourdes' sidewalk soup kitchen on Boulevard in Atlanta. Every Friday she gives prayerful witness to the sanctity of life at an abortion clinic. In addition, she has opened her home to four women in crisis pregnancies.

Renee Harris, who was unable to attend the celebration, was recognized for her work as a liaison between the Clarkesville Spanish-speaking community and members of her North Georgia parish at St. Mark's Church. She has been an advocate for low-income Hispanics, translating, filling out government forms and assisting in medical emergencies and births. She is the Hispanic representative on St. Mark's Parish Council.

Sherry Williams, a parishioner of St. Anthony's in Atlanta, was recognized for coordinating the milk and juice program for the last six years at the Cascade House, a shelter for homeless and abused women and children. Ms. Williams was also honored for her work with St. Anthony's Food Pantry, Achor's Shelter, a transitional shelter for women and their children, and with AIDS patients at the Gift of Grace House operated by the Missionaries of Charity.

Mark and Katie Bashor, parishioners at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception who were unable to attend the prayer service, were recognized for their many years of volunteer work managing the night shelters for the homeless at Central Presbyterian Church and the Shrine.

The Archbishop James P. Lyke Memorial Mass Choir, under the direction of Jack Tilson, choir director of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, Decatur, filled the church with African-American hymns that unified the diverse congregation. Songs such as "Order My Steps," "We Shall Overcome," "Walk In the Light," and "This Little Light of Mine," reverberated throughout the Shrine.

The sound of three drummers signaled the beginning of the prayer service as liturgical dancers processed down the aisles performing a funga, a traditional West African dance of welcome. The call to worship was read by Sherry Williams.

Msgr. Kenny presided at the prayer service attended by approximately 250 people. Priests and deacons, some wearing stoles in the African-American colors of red, black and green, processed into the Shrine after the Ladies of St. Peter Claver.

Dr. Randall Bailey, an associate professor of Old Testament and Hebrew and an academic chairperson at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, was the featured speaker. Bailey, a member of West Oakland Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, thanked the archdiocese for allowing a Baptist preacher to pay tribute to the life of Dr. King in a Catholic celebration.

"To have a Baptist preacher speak at the celebration of the archdiocese is truly in the spirit of the ministry of Dr. Martin Luther King," he said. "I am thankful to both you and to God for this opportunity."

Bailey spoke of the importance of having God at the center of one's life in order to experience growth that brings one closer to God and into a fuller understanding of His plan.

Presenting a series of "what if" questions, Bailey asked "what if" Dr. King were still alive today. "Where would he be today? Would he be a major advocate of the feminist movement? Would he not be a major opponent of the oppression of gays and lesbians? I believe the answer to all these questions would be yes," Bailey said.

Bailey said that he believes Dr. King would have grown and become an advocate for these causes because of the growth in his relationship with the Lord.

"In his lifetime Dr. King was an ardent sexist," he said. "In his mind it was clear there was a back-up role for women and that women should not be in leadership positions. But Dr. King had already grown to realize that he didn't want his children judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. . . I believe that Dr. King would have been prepared to grow in the way that God expected him to grow."

He asked the congregation if they were prepared to grow in the ways they would have expected Dr. King to grow.

"We need to start every day living as if God's reputation is at stake," he said. "God says to his servant, 'I want you to be a light to the nations.' Are we prepared to say, 'This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine,' or are we going to put our light under a bushel. No, my sisters and brothers, we must take forth our lights and let them shine."

A resounding "Amen" punctuated the conclusion of Bailey's message.

Members of the congregation remarked that his challenge caused them to reexamine their own spiritual lives.

"He made me reevaluate what I did on a daily basis to communicate with God," said Colleen Wassel, a senior at St. Pius X High School in Atlanta. "Sometimes, because life is so hectic, you don't feel as if you have time for everything. Dr. Bailey reminded me to look at the big picture. When I do that I realize there is nothing more important than spending time with God."