One time during the year when Black Catholic events are sure to abound is Martin Luther King Day. We have compiled here a list of such events throughout the nation, both in-person and virtual.
(This list may not be exhaustive. Please contact your local diocese, Black Catholic office, or a Black parish in your area for more info. We will also be updating the BCM calendar as more events are announced.)
Archdiocese of Atlanta
- 1/15: MLK Mass at 1pm ET with Auxiliary Bishop Bernard Shlesinger III and homilist Deacon Avery Daniel at the Lyke House Catholic Center of the Atlanta University Center Consortium. Seating will be limited, and registration is required.
Diocese of Arlington
- 1/16: MLK Mass at 11am ET with Bishop Michael Burbidge at the Cathedral of St Thomas More. Reception to follow.
Diocese of Austin
- 1/15: Mass for Peace and Justice at 11am CT at Holy Cross Catholic Church with Bishop Joe Vásquez and homilist Fr Charles “Larry” Covington of St Theresa of Lisieux Catholic Church. Honoring Patricia Macy with the Drum Major for Justice Award.
Archdiocese of Baltimore
- 1/15: (Virtual) Racial Justice Circle at 10am ET with the Josephite parishes of Baltimore and St Ignatius Catholic Church.
- 1/16: MLK Mass at 10am ET St Ignatius Catholic Church.
- 1/16: Black Lives Matter Rally at 1:30pm ET with St Ignatius Catholic Church at Mother Mary Lange Catholic School.
- 1/17: 9th Annual MLK and Msgr Edward Michael Miller Peace Walk at 12pm ET with Auxiliary Bishop Denis Madden at St Bernadine Catholic Church.
- 1/20: (Virtual) Loyola University Maryland’s 29th Annual MLK Convocation at 6:30pm ET with “The New Jim Crow” author Michelle Alexander.
Diocese of Beaumont
- 1/15: MLK Mass at 4pm CT with Bishop David Toups at the St Anthony Cathedral Basilica. Reception to follow.
Diocese of Birmingham
- (PASSED) 1/8: MLK Prayer Breakfast at 10am CT with Fr Kevin Fausz, CM at the Cathedral of St Paul Life Center.
Archdiocese of Boston
- 1/17: (Virtual) 37th Annual MLK Interreligious Prayer Meeting at 10am ET with Cardinal Seán O’Malley, OFM Cap., Fr Oscar Pratt, and guests.
- 1/17: (Virtual) 17th Annual Natick MLK Day Celebration at 10am ET with keynote speaker Deacon Art Miller of St Mary’s Catholic Church in Simsbury, Connecticut.
Diocese of Brooklyn
- 1/17: MLK Prayer Service at 12pm ET at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church with Fr Alonzo Cox and homilist Fr John McKenzie of the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Detroit. Seating will be limited.
Diocese of Buffalo
- 1/16: (Virtual) MLK Mass at 10am ET with Bishop Michael Fisher and homilist Fr Fred Alexander, OCD at Blessed Trinity Catholic Church. Tickets required.
- 1/17: MLK Day of Service.
Diocese of Camden
Diocese of Charleston
- 1/17: (Virtual) MLK Prayer Service and webinar at 10am ET with Dr. Kevin Johnson of Spelman College, Deacon Leonard Chambliss, Deacon Larry Deschaine, Fr Michael Okere, and Kathleen Merritt.
Archdiocese of Chicago
- 1/16: St Sabina Catholic Church’s African-American Speaker Series at 10am CT Mass with journalist Marc Lamont Hill.
Diocese of Cleveland
- 1/17: MLK Mass at 10am ET with Bishop Edward Malesic at the Cathedral of St John the Evangelist.
Diocese of Colorado Springs
- 1/17: (Virtual) Colorado College’s MLK All People’s Breakfast at 10am MT featuring among its guests Ashley Paul, African American Youth Leadership Conference (AAYLC) Student of the Month.
Archdiocese of Denver
- 1/17: 10th Annual MLK Mass at 9am MT with Archbishop Samuel Aquila at Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Aurora.
Archdiocese of Detroit
- 1/15: MLK Service Day.
- 1/17: Mass for Justice and Peace at 11am ET with Fr Phil Cooke, SJ at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend
- 1/18: The University of Notre Dame's Annual MLK Day Candlelight Prayer Service at 10pm ET at the Main Building Rotunda. A livestream will also be available.
Diocese of Forth Worth
- 1/22: 36th Annual MLK Mass at 5:30pm CT with Bishop Michael Olson and homilist Bishop Curtis Guillory, SVD, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Beaumont, at St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Arlington.
Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
- 1/16: Annual Mass of Remembrance at 3pm CT at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart with Cardinal Daniel DiNardo and homilist Fr Houston Okonma of St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Houston.
Diocese of Green Bay
- (Virtual)" St. Norbert College's "Beloved Community Teach-In" at 9am CT with keynote speakers Drs. Shawnee Daniels-Sykes and Craig Ford.
Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
- Benedictine College’s MLK March and Celebration at 5:30pm CT beginning on campus in Atchison. Livestreamed event from O’Malley McAllister Auditorium to follow.
Diocese of Lafayette
- 1/14: MLK Mass & Award Celebration at 7pm CT with Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel at the Cathedral of St John the Evangelist.
Diocese of Little Rock
- 1/15: 35th Annual MLK Mass and Daniel Rudd Award Ceremony at 4:30pm CT with Bishop Anthony Taylor at the Cathedral of St Andrew.
Archdiocese of Los Angeles
- 1/17: MLK Mass at 3pm PT with Archbishop José Gómez and homilist Fr Jeffrey Harvey, CM at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.
Diocese of Memphis
- 1/14: MLK School Mass at 8:30am CT at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
- 1/17: MLK Mass at 11:30am CT with Bishop David Talley at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
Archdiocese of Milwaukee
- 1/15: 31st Annual MLK Memorial Prayer Service at 1:30pm CT with Archbishop Jerome Listecki and Makda Fessahaye at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Milwaukee. Reception to follow.
Archdiocese of New Orleans
- 1/14-17: MLK Weekend of Service.
- 1/16: Xavier University of Louisiana's MLK "Blackout Mass" at 12:30pm CT in the St Katharine Drexel Chapel. Black and/or African attire encouraged.
Diocese of Oakland
- 1/16: (Virtual) MLK Mass at 10am PT with Gordon Bennett, SJ, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Mandeville, and St Columba Catholic Church.
Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee
- 1/16: MLK Mass at 3:30pm PT with Bishop William Wack, CSC at St Joseph Catholic Church in Pensacola.
Archdiocese of Philadelphia
- 1/17: MLK Interfaith Prayer Service at 6pm ET with Archbishop Nelson Perez and guests at the Miraculous Medal Shrine.
Diocese of Phoenix
- 1/17: MLK Mass at 3pm MT with Bishop Thomas Olmsted, Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Nevares, and homilist Bishop Edward Braxton, Bishop Emeritus of Belleville, at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral.
Diocese of Pittsburgh
- 1/16: (Virtual) MLK Celebration at 2pm ET with Fr Matthew Hawkins and keynote speaker Esther Bush, formerly of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh.
Diocese of Portland
- 1/17: (Virtual) “Awakening to the Violence of Systemic Racism” webinar at 7pm PT with Sherine Green of Saint Joseph’s College of Maine and Christ Our Light Catholic Church in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
Diocese of Raleigh
- 1/15: MLK Mass at 5pm ET with Auxiliary Bishop Fernand Cheri III, OFM of New Orleans, at St Ann Catholic Church in Fayetteville.
- 1/17: MLK Mass at 10am ET with Bishop Luis Zarama and homilist New Orleans Auxiliary Bishop Fernand Cheri III, OFM at the Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral.
Diocese of San Diego
- 1/16: MLK Mass at 10am PT with Bishop Robert McElroy at St Rita Catholic Church.
Archdiocese of Santa Fe
- 1/16: MLK Mass at 12pm MT with Archbishop John Wester at St Joseph on the Rio Grande Catholic Church.
Archdiocese of Seattle
- 1/17: MLK Mass and Celebration at 11am PT at Seattle University’s Chapel of St Ignatius with Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, MSpS and Gregory Alex of the Matt Talbot Center.
Diocese of Springfield (Massachusetts)
- 1/16: MLK Mass at 8:30am ET at St Michael's Cathedral with Deacon Art Miller of St Mary’s Catholic Church in Simsbury, Connecticut. Coffee hour to follow.
Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau
- 1/26: Southeast Missouri State University’s MLK Celebration at 5pm CT at the Show Me Center with Judge Brian Miller of St Mary’s Catholic Church in Helena, Arkansas.
Archdiocese of St. Louis
- 1/16: 46th Annual Peace and Justice Mass at 2:30pm CT with Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski at the Cathedral Basilica of St Louis.
Diocese of Toledo
- 1/16: Mass for Promoting Harmony and Drum Major Awards ceremony at 10:30am ET with Bishop Daniel Thomas at St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Lima.
Archdiocese of Washington
- 1/22: MLK Mass at 5pm ET with Auxiliary Bishop Roy Campbell Jr. at St Thomas More Catholic Church.
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger, a seminarian with the Josephites, and a ThM student with the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA).
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