BY RITA McINERNEY

Staff Writer

ATLANTA--The Church has a rightful place in the struggle for justice led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to his death, Bishop George V. Murry, SJ, said at the annual memorial service for the slain civil rights leader.

Bishop Murry, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago, was guest preacher for the Liturgy of the Word held Jan. 18 at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The archdiocesan Office for Black Catholic Ministry sponsors the celebration.

In his welcome to Bishop Murry and the people filling the historic church, Archbishop John F. Donoghue quoted from a sermon by Dr. King:

"...seek God and discover Him and make Him a power in your life. Without Him, life is a meaningless drama with the decisive scenes missing. But with Him we are able to rise from the fatigue of despair to the buoyancy of hope. With Him we are able to rise from the midnight of desperation to the daybreak of joy..."

The two-hour service was rich with the spirit of Dr. King, in readings from Scripture and from the Atlantan's sermons and speeches, in prayers led by the archbishop and Deacon Jerry Lett, in the singing of hymns and spirituals by the Archbishop James P. Lyke Memorial Mass Choir, and the participation of the congregation.

Bishop Murry said, "We must be on the move. The burning of our churches cannot deter us. The attack of hate groups on the Internet cannot halt us. We must be on the move to freedom."

The Chicago bishop said the life and works of King lead "us to confront the task of our time...There is no institution which has a more rightful place in that struggle than the Church, because to the Church Jesus left his example and the mandate to work for justice."

He made it clear that his listeners must work to "build up our nation in justice and peace." Confronting the racism which still exists is the first task, he said. Such an action would lead to change and "that is what we should pray for and work toward: nothing less than change."

The best hope for change lies in education, according to Bishop Murry. Like the Native Americans of the Southwest, whose history is "usually told from the vantage point of Easterners moving West...How much is really known about us? The negative images of African-Americans are presented in the media every day."

"Education must remain a priority within our community," Bishop Murry stressed. "We must do everything possible to insure that our children get the best education possible, and we must become missionaries to the wider world, to get out the news that not all African-Americans are poor, not all on welfare, not all engaged in violent crime. Indeed that we share the same values as our neighbors of other races. We have worked hard, made sacrifices and hope for a better life for our children...I call upon all of you who are in school to stay there and use every opportunity to improve yourselves...no one can take away the power of your mind to know and live the truth."

Mentioning the grief shared by so many over the slaying in Los Angeles of Morehouse graduate Ennis Cosby, the Chicago bishop said violence now permeating society must also be faced.

"How can we confront this violence? St. Augustine, whom Dr. King so often quoted, offered the only real solution when he wrote, ?Who can be good, if not made so by loving?'...We adults need to be connected with our children. We should know who their friends are and where they spend their time. We should spend time with them, tell them and show them we love them, and share with them the values of life, not the tenets of what our Holy Father calls the culture of death. Our children are our future. If we love them in tangible ways, we will love them into life and no gang will ever hold sway over them."

The bishop urged the people to confront self-doubt. If Dr. King's dream is to become reality, "We must build a future on accomplishments. The time has passed for blaming others for our problems. We have the ability, given by God, to shape our destiny...Dr. King opened doors for us, to schools, to jobs, to opportunity, now we must walk through."

In a moving conclusion, the bishop said he turns to the Scripture passage in Ezekiel, chapter 37, when he is "tempted to think that the dream is dead."

"If we place our hope in Him, then our dry bones and tried bones will be revived," he said, "and when our day is done, we will hear the life-giving words of our Savior: ?Well done, good and faithful servant, come and share my kingdom.'"

During the liturgy, local peace and justice awards were presented to three women and two parish organizations by the director of the archdiocesan Office for Black Catholic Ministry. The awards recognize "that people continue to hear Dr. King's voice and carry out his works of love," according to the director, Howard Brown.

Honored were the Knights of St. Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Hapeville. In his nomination, Father Vincent Douglass, CSsR, pastor, said he has found the groups "always available." When he arrived, he noted, "they gave me a sense of belonging...and made my transition very peaceful..." Very dedicated to their faith and parish, he said, "they are ready to help wherever needed...in the church, school or the community."

Ellen Howe, fourth-grade teacher at St. Jude the Apostle School, Sandy Springs, was called a "beacon of light for Christ and the beatitudes" in the nominating letter sent on her behalf by St. Jude Parish and school. Six years ago she initiated a weekly class on peace and justice. Since then, she and the students have taken a vow of nonviolence and created school exhibits with pictures and quotes from Dr. King, Mother Teresa, St. Francis, Gandhi and Dorothy Day. They send gifts to Bosnian children, collect for the needy in Appalachia, write to prisoners, prepare and serve meals at Central Presbyterian Church night shelter and attend the annual pro-life march on Jan. 22.

The Pastoral Council and Liturgy Committee at St. Paul of the Cross Parish in northwest Atlanta were nominated by the pastor, Father Melvin Shorter, CP, for their ongoing involvement with the oppressed and the overlooked. They have helped at Central night shelter, Bankhead Court housing project, Camille Nursing Home, Atlanta Day Shelter for Women, Samaritan House and for a blood donor project. They encourage parish stewardship in order to increase funds for outreach, the pastor said. "I feel that these groups have worked tirelessly improving life for citizens in Atlanta," Father Shorter wrote.

Cheryl Page of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, Decatur, was nominated by her pastor, Father Richard Wise. "Since her youth, Mrs. Page has worked for civil rights in Louisiana and more recently in Georgia," Father Wise said in his nomination letter. She serves as mentor for the parish youth ministry program, is a member of the Parish Council and co-chairman of the peace and justice committee. "Mrs. Page's tireless efforts to implement the Gospel recommends her for this award," Father Wise wrote.

Joyce Smith of St. Anthony Parish, Atlanta, was cited by her pastor, Father Hugh Marren. In the three years he has known her, "she has shown herself to be a dauntless supporter for the underprivileged and less fortunate," Father Marren wrote. "She has shown a particular empathy toward the homeless and the hungry here in Atlanta. She has consistently volunteered her services toward feeding the homeless at St. Anthony and has recently taken a position with the St. Vincent de Paul Society so she might further help those who are needy. As Parish Council president she continually reminded us of our responsibility to work together for stewardship as a family, inside and outside the parish....Joyce has never sought any recognition but has always been the first to recognize and praise the efforts of others."

Taking part as readers at the service were: Christine Simpson, Ashley Chapman, 10, and Sue Said from Our Lady of Lourdes Church; Paul Duhe, Leigh Torrence and Rudy Cadney from St. Anthony's Church; Orlando Caicedo from Immaculate Heart of Mary Church; Angela Chandler from St. Paul of the Cross Church; Patrice Harper, a teacher at Our Lady of Loudes School, from Most Blessed Sacrament Church; Dr. Sandra Smith, superintendent of Catholic schools for the archdiocese and Awodele Omilami, junior at St. Pius X High School.

Jack Tilson, choir director at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, directs the Archbishop Lyke Memorial Mass Choir.

At a reception sponsored by the Shrine, Bishop Murry moved from group to group, including one group of students from the Atlanta University Catholic Center with Father Ed Branch, campus minister.

Peace and justice award winner Ellen Howe said that her students are "sensitive to all kinds of injustice. You plant a seed and sometimes it grows."

She finds her inspiration in the Gospel story of the last judgment cited in Matthew, chapter 25, and her perspective from a quotation from Mother Teresa, "We're not called to be successful but just to be obedient."

Sts. Peter and Paul honoree Cheryl Page, the mother of three children, said her peace and justice efforts now tend to be more involved with things that could affect children. Through the parish committee she has joined an effort to amend a state law that could place teens arrested with crime suspects into adult jails rather than in the juvenile system.

"A child's good record won't come into play if it happens that a young person happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time," she said.

Equal educational opportunity for black children is close to her heart. "How does it happen that black kids are usually listed as remedial while white kids are always pushed into gifted programs?" she asks. This question has been on her mind since attending a recent national convention at Spelman College. One accomplishment in the pursuit of justice she is quick to point out is that Sts. Peter and Paul is now a legal state voter registration site.