Bishop: impact of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Chancery offices closed Jan. 15 to honor Dr. King

In observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day on Jan. 15, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., issued a message calling to mind the 1960 novel “To Kill A Mockingbird.”
 
Bishop O’Connell reflected on the acclaimed novel by Harper Lee, and recounted the philosophy of the story’s protagonist, Atticus Finch: “You never really understand a person, until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”
 
Citing the legacy and teaching of Dr. King, Bishop O’Connell conveyed the words of the slain civil rights leader:  “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in moments of challenge and controversy.  The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige, and even his life for the welfare of others.  In dangerous valleys and hazardous pathways, he will lift some bruised and beaten brother to a higher and more noble life (“Strength to Love,” 1963).”  
 
Bishop O’Connell writes:  “King truly gave his life ‘for the welfare of others,’ lifting his brothers and sisters of every race to ‘a more noble life.’  Yes, his life ended 50 years ago.  But the cause for which he lived and died goes unfinished.  The tragedy in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 12 this past year and the renewed rise of white supremacy and neo-nazism in our country that preceded it in recent years makes that abundantly clear.  

“Celebrating a great man and his inspiring legacy is an important and noble thing.  But memories are simply not enough.  The true measure of a man like Dr. Martin Luther King is the real difference he made and continues to make in the lives he left behind,” the Bishop continued.  

To make a real difference, Bishop O’Connell urges his flock to remember Atticus Finch’s advice to his young daughter.  The Bishop writes: “We will never understand a life,  any life of any person of any race unless we ‘consider things from his/her point of view’ —- unless we ‘climb inside his/her skin and walk around in it.’”
 
Read the full text of Bishop O’Connell’s message.
 
In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, the Chancery will be closed Jan. 15.