Dear Parents and Students - I hope you are well and warm! This Monday, January 15th, we will be in school all day, and together as a school community, we celebrate The Most Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. We will begin the day Monday, with prayer and reflection and throughout the day teachers will lead students in various activities honoring the life, achievements, and sacrifice of Dr. King. Below is a brief recap of his life and a video link of a biographical review from birth through the present of his achievements. We always point out and appreciate that Dr. King was a Minister of God and that he firmly promoted the Gospel teachings of Christ as he fought for justice, equality, and love of brother and sister. I hope you enjoy the brief summary below, and may we all, in the spirit of the Most Reverend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., work to live the two Great Commandments as Christ shared with us.
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than he.’ And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions. — Mark 12:28-34
Dr. King was a Baptist Minister who championed equal rights for all people. Before the mid-1960’s, black people in America were not allowed to vote, eat in the same restaurants, sit in the same bus seats, or attend the same schools as white people. This rule of separating by color was known as “Segregation.” Dr. King led a national movement to change these unjust laws through non-violent protests, boycotts, and sit-ins. He was a follower of Christ and a role model for all Americans.
Dr. King directed the peaceful march on Washington, D.C., of 250,000 people to whom he delivered his address, "l Have a Dream", he conferred with President John F. Kennedy and campaigned for President Lyndon B. Johnson; he was arrested upwards of twenty times and assaulted at least four times; he was awarded five honorary degrees; was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963; and became not only the symbolic leader of American blacks but also a world figure.
At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement.
On the evening of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, TN, where he was to lead a protest march in unity with striking garbage workers of that city, he was assassinated. Dr. King was a follower of Christ and a role model for all Americans. He is considered a martyr for God, as he devoted his life to bringing others to fulfill the Gospel teachings in our modern day.
Finally, thank you for sending your children to our St. Charles Borromeo School. On behalf of all in our School Community, I wish that you know the peace of Christ and that you have a wonderful week!
