Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be observed Monday with a special Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels and celebrations at church in Reseda and Staples Center.
The Mass celebrating the life and legacy of the slain civil rights leader will begin at 2:30 p.m. Archbishop Jose H. Gomez will be the principal celebrant. Retired Bishop Terry Steib of the Diocese of Memphis in Tennessee will be the homilist.
“We celebrate the memory of Reverend King and also we commit ourselves to his dream — his beautiful vision of the `beloved community’ and his witness to nonviolence as a way of life,” Gomez said.
“In these days, when we are often confronted with the violence in our world, we will gather to pray for peace and reconciliation, and in his spirit renew our work for peace and justice and human dignity, to make this world more like God intended it to be.”
The Mass will include the installation of officers of the Knights of Peter Claver, the largest African-American lay Catholic organization. It is named for St. Peter Claver, the Spanish Jesuit priest who ministered to African slaves in the 17th century.
Steib will receive the Drum Major Award in recognition for his dedication to promote education for underserved communities.
The Valley Interfaith Council’s 19th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration will have the theme “I Have Been To The Mountain Top and I Have Seen the Promised Land.”
The celebration at the Reseda Church of Christ will begin with a “meet and greet” from 5-6 p.m. The program from 6-8 p.m. will consist of performances by numerous musical groups, including the Reseda Church of Christ Choir.
A Martin Luther King Jr. Halftime Celebration will be held at Monday night’s Los Angeles Clippers-Houston Rockets game at Staples Center. The Resurrection Church Choir will perform at halftime while performance artist Vilas Nayak speed paints a King-themed painting on the floor.
The Clippers will also honor civil rights activist and entrepreneur Danny Bakewell Sr. of the Brotherhood Crusade during the game. In-game video messages about the importance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be played throughout the game.
—City News Service