Vigil commemorates 50th anniversary of MLK assassination; call to continue the dream

DETROIT — The church bells rang 39 times at St. Mary’s of Redford Parish in Detroit, one for each year of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life.

The sound of the bells rang through the cool, crisp air on April 4, as clergy and laity alike reflected on the message of Rev. King.

“Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out against the prejudice and racism which prevents us from being the community of love and respect the Lord wants us to be,” Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Gerard Battersby said. “We remember with gratitude today the witness of the reverence of Dr. Martin Luther King, asking today that we take up that witness of courage and determination to follow his example in battling injustice and witness the Gospel of love.”

The service was part remembering the legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King, who was assassinated 50 years ago on April 4, 1968, and part call to action to continue to fight injustice, discrimination and racism in the Archdiocese of Detroit.

“When we talk about Martin Luther King, we always seem to be talking about the past; but how often did he talk about the past?” asked Leon Dixon Jr., coordinator of the archdiocese’s Office of Black Catholic Ministries. “We need to look toward the future. For 50 years we’ve been reflecting, reflecting and reflecting, but the same things have been happening for 50 years. We have to be the ones who are that drum major for justice.”

Dixon mentioned the forms of injustice and racial inequality seen in society today, from police brutality and economic discrimination that target the African-American community, to more local issues such as the Flint water crisis and water shutoffs in the city of Detroit.

“We look at the church, the black Catholic church, the black Baptist church — this was ground zero for change,” Dixon said. “This is where all thought for action and activism came from. Not just believing in the dream, but becoming the dream.

“The Church should be the vehicle to be the change we want to see,” Dixon continued. “We just came from the Lenten season, talking about when Jesus came into town with the Apostles. They changed things. They didn’t change it right away. But Christ started it, and the Apostles continued after the Resurrection.”


After readings from Scripture and more hymns, clergy from the city spoke about what it means to be a witness to the Gospel, following in the footsteps of Rev. King.

“What responsibility do we have when God reveals to us that we can no longer conform to injustice?” said Fr. Phil Cooke, SJ, associate pastor of Gesu Parish in Detroit. “What is the price of answering God’s call? The lives of Moses and Martin Luther King help us discover the answers to these questions. Perhaps today, you will hear God’s call to stand as a prophet, to speak truth.”

Fr. John Phelps, pastor of St. Peter Claver Parish in Detroit, was ordained a transitional deacon April 2, 1968, two days before Rev. King’s assassination. On April 5 that year, he preached for the first time.

“What I came to discover when I reflected on Rev. King’s life was Martin Luther King had given me an understanding of what fear is,” Fr. Phelps said. “Fear is the deepest form of violence. It’s fear that drives people to commit acts of hate. As someone about to be ordained a priest, it became my mission to deal with the cause of violence: the fear.”

Fr. Phelps said Rev. King’s witness, and the witness of many civil rights leaders, had a profound impact on his priesthood.

“We always talk about the dream, it was the Resurrection that Dr. King spoke about that inspired us,” Fr. Phelps said. “I want us to be inspired by a man’s life, who walked with no fear. He passed before he was 40, knowing his life was in danger; he had no naivety about it at all. When we challenge the issues of injustice, this is the man we’re following. We’re following Martin Luther King Jr., and we’re following Christ.”