Priest remembers Rev. King, calls community to work for justice

Published: 2004-01-23

ATLANTA (CNS) -- Catholics gathered at a Mass at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Atlanta to celebrate the social justice legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and to examine anew whether they are heeding prayers for reconciliation and peace and putting them into action in their daily lives. The annual liturgy, with the theme "Until All Injustice Is Conquered by Love," was celebrated Jan. 17, two days before this year's observance of the federal holiday honoring Rev. King's memory. The slain civil rights leader would have been 75 years old this year. The Mass was sponsored by the Atlanta archdiocesan Office for Black Catholic Ministry, which serves an estimated 8,000 African-American Catholics and sponsors events for the entire archdiocese, including the annual King celebration. The homilist was Father Ricardo Bailey, parochial vicar at St. Joseph's Church in Marietta, who grew up in Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, across the street from Rev. King's birthplace.

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