Where to find a Catholic MLK Day event (2023 edition)

This year will mark the 60th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, one of the most powerful moments of oration in US history. It also marks the 55th year since his assassination. On January 16, we will mark his birthday with MLK Day—on and around which Black Catholic events are found in good measure. Below you will find 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 be updating the BCM calendar as more events are announced.)

National

1/16 (virtual): MLK Health Equity Symposium with Trinity Health at 11am ET.

Albany

1/25: Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King Lecture Series at 7pm ET with Timothy Tyson at Siena College’s Sarazen Student Union in Loudonville.

Atlanta

1/14: MLK Mass at St. Paul of the Cross Catholic Church with Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer, OFM Conv. at 1pm ET.
1/15: MLK Youth Celebration at St. John the Evangelist Catholic School in Hapeville at 3pm ET.

Arlington

1/15: MLK Mass at 11am ET with Bishop Michael Burbidge at St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Springfield. Reception to follow.
1/15: MLK Mass at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church at 11am ET.

Austin

1/14: Commemoration of MLK and Venerable Augustus Tolton at 10am CT with Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Perry of Chicago at St Michael's Academy.

Baltimore

1/14 (virtual): “Living a Life of Nonviolence” webinar at 10am ET with the Josephite parishes of Baltimore and St Ignatius Catholic Church.
1/16: MLK prayer service and neighborhood walk at noon ET with Auxiliary Bishops Bruce Lewandowski and Dennis Madden and Dr. Daria Willis at St. Bernadine Catholic Church.
1/18: MLK Convocation with Fr Bryan Massingale at 6:30pm ET at Loyola University Maryland’s McGuire Hall.

Beaumont

1/14: MLK Mass at 4pm CT with Bishop David Toups at St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica. Reception to follow.

Birmingham

1/14: MLK prayer breakfast at 10am ET with Fr Reginald Norman at the Cathedral of St. Paul Life Center.

Boston

1/16: MLK prayer breakfast at 9am ET with Dr. Jaime Waters and Cardinal Seán O'Malley at St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Church in Dorchester.
1/16: Metrowest MLK interfaith memorial breakfast at 9am ET at Weston United Methodist Church.
1/16: MLK prayer breakfast at 9am ET with Arthur Bembury at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Cohasset.

Brooklyn

1/15: MLK celebration at 9am ET with Nadia “Mangie” Kpaka at Our Lady of the Presentation Catholic Church.
1/16: MLK prayer breakfast and community dialogue at St Kevin Catholic Church in Queens at 10am ET.

Buffalo

1/15: MLK Mass at 9:30am ET with Bishop Michael Fisher and homilist Fr Avery Daniel of Atlanta at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church.

Burlington

1/16: MLK Day of Celebration at Saint Michael’s College at 9am ET.
1/31 (hybrid): MLK Convocation at 4:30pm ET with keynote speaker Margaret A. Burnham at Saint Michael’s College's McCarthy Recital Hall.

Charleston

1/16 (virtual): MLK celebration at 10am ET with the Diocese of Charleston Black Catholic Ministry.

Chicago

1/11 (hybrid): MLK prayer service at 4:30pm CT with State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins at Catholic Theological Union.

Cincinnati

1/16-21: MLK Week at the University of Dayton.

Columbus

1/16: MLK Mass with Bishop Earl Fernandes and Fr Ramon Owera at Holy Rosary & St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church at 12pm ET.

Denver

1/16: Peace and Justice Mass at 9am MT with Auxiliary Bishop Jorge Rodríguez at Cure D'Ars Catholic Church.

Detroit

1/14: MLK symposium at the Sacred Heart Activities Building at 11am ET.
1/14: Archdiocesan MLK Service Day.
1/16: Holy Mass for Justice and Peace with Auxiliary Bishop Donald Hanchon at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament at 10am ET.
1/16: Young Adult Holy Hour for the Protection of Life and an End to Racial Injustice at 7pm ET. (Register for location)
1/18: “Breaking Down Barriers” panel with the University of Detroit-Mercy at 6:30pm ET in the McNichols Campus Library’s Bargmann Room.

Fort Wayne-South Bend

1/19-27: Walk the Walk Week event series at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend.

Fort Worth

1/7: MLK Memorial Mass with Bishop Michael Olson at St. Michael Catholic Church in Bedford at 6pm CT.

Fresno

1/16: MLK Community March at St. John’s Cathedral with the Fresno MLK Unity Committee at 10am PT.

Galveston-Houston

1/15: MLK Mass at 3pm CT with Cardinal Daniel DiNardo and homilist Bishop Emeritus Curtis Guillory, SVD of Beaumont at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston.

La Crosse

1/16: MLK Day of Service, Learning, and Celebration at 8am CT with keynote speaker Dr. Andre E. Johnson at Viterbo University.

Lafayette

1/13: MLK Mass and Award Celebration with Bishop Douglas Deshotel at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist at 6:30pm CT.
1/16: MLK celebration and award ceremony at 2pm CT at Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Opelousas.

Lexington

1/14: National Black Catholic Congress Day of Reflection at 9am ET with Fr Maurice Nutt, CSsR at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church.
1/16: Unity Breakfast and March for Freedom at 6:30am ET with the Alpha Beta Lambda Chapter Education Foundation at the Central Bank Center.

Los Angeles

1/13: MLK prayer service at San Gabriel Mission in San Gabriel.
1/14: MLK prayer breakfast at 8am PT with Michael Donaldson at Proud Bird Restaurant.
1/15 (hybrid): “Dr. King’s Dream is Alive: The Beloved Community in the 21st Century” panel at 3pm PT with Fr Timothy Dyer, Prof. Michael Howard, and Dr. Kim Harris in Loyola Marymount University Hall 1859.
1/16: MLK Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels with Archbishop Jose Gomez at 3pm PT.

Louisville

1/14: MLK celebration at 10:30am ET with Archbishop Shelton Fabre at the Cathedral of the Assumption.

Memphis

MLK Mass with Bishop David Talley at 10am CT in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Milwaukee

1/14: MLK prayer service at 1:30pm CT with Archbishop Jerome Listecki at All Saints Catholic Church.
1/18: MLK prayer service and reflection in Marquette University's AMU Ballrooms at 12pm CT.

New Orleans

1/16: Archdiocesan MLK Day of Service at 7:30am CT beginning with Archbishop Gregory Aymond at the CYO Youth and Young Adult Ministry Office.

Omaha

1/13, 18: Creighton University MLK Week.

Orange

1/14-16: MLK Weekend of Celebration with Fr Claude Williams, O.Praem and Greg Hogan at St Edward the Confessor in Dana Point.

Pensacola-Tallahassee

1/15: MLK commemoration at 1pm ET with Bishop William Wack and Rev. Dr. Lonnie D. Wesley III at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Pensacola.

Philadelphia

1/23: MLK interfaith prayer service at 3pm ET with Archbishop Nelson Perez at St. Philip Neri Church in Lafayette Hills.
1/25: Villanova University MLK keynote lecture at 7pm ET with Rev. Jim Wallis in the Connelly Center's Villanova Room.
1/26: Villanova University Freedom School at 10am ET.

Phoenix

1/14: MLK Mass at 4pm MT with Bishop John Dolan and Fr Andrew McNair at St. Josephine Bakhita Mission. Reception to follow.

Pittsburgh

1/15 (virtual): MLK commemoration at 2pm ET with Fr Matthew Hawkins and the St. Paul Cathedral Race and Reconciliation Dialogue Group.

Portland

1/15: Citywide MLK celebration at 2pm PT with Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church and School at Lake Oswego High School.

Providence

1/22-27: MLK Week at Salve Regina University in Newport.
1/26: MLK Convocation at 4pm ET with Hill Harper at Providence College’s Peterson Recreation Center.

Raleigh

1/16: MLK Mass at 12pm ET with Bishop Luis Zamara and homilist Fr Carl Gales, SVD at Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral.

San Angelo

1/16: MLK celebration with Bishop Michael Sis at noon CT in the Cathedral Church of the Sacred Heart.

San Antonio

1/15: MLK interfaith worship service at 4:30pm CT at St. Gerard Catholic Church.
1/21: MLK celebration at 10am CT with Bishop Emeritus Edward Braxton of Belleville at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church.

San Diego

1/15: MLK Mass at 10am PT with Cardinal Robert McElroy at St. Rita Catholic Church.

Santa Fe

1/14 (hybrid): “The Enduring Call to Love” workshop series at 9am MT with Rev. Elwood McDowell at St. Joseph on the Rio Grande Catholic Church in Albuquerque.
1/15: MLK Mass at 12pm MT with Archbishop John C. Wester and Rev. Elwood McDowell at St. Joseph on the Rio Grande Catholic Church in Albuquerque.

Seattle

1/16: MLK Mass at 11am PT with Auxiliary Bishop Frank Schuster at Seattle University’s St. Ignatius Chapel.

St. Louis

1/11 (virtual): MLK Memorial Tribute with Sybrina Fulton at 9am CT.
1/15: Peace and Justice Mass at 2:30pm CT with Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis

Toledo

1/15: MLK Mass and Drum Major Awards ceremony at 10am ET with Bishop Daniel Thomas at St. Mary Catholic Church.

Washington

1/15: MLK Mass at 10am ET with Cardinal Wilton Gregory at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
1/16: Georgetown University’s “Let Freedom Ring Celebration” concert at the Kennedy Center with Leslie Odom Jr., the Let Freedom Ring Choir, and Nolan Williams Jr. at 6pm ET.
1/20: MLK prayer service at 8am ET with Chris Haley at St. Mary's College of Maryland's Campus Center Great Room.

Wilmington

1/14: National Black Congress Day of Reflection at 9am ET with Therese Wilson Favors at St. Joseph Catholic Church on French Street.

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).