February 2020, Vol. 38, No. 2
The official publication of the Diocese of Austin
En Español: Páginas 23-26
MLK service encourages people to stand up for others By Enedelia J. Obregón | Senior Correspondent
The Diocese of Austin commemorated the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at a service on Jan. 11 at St. John Neumann Parish in Austin. Also during the service, the Hon. Wilhelmina R. Delco, former speaker pro tempore of the Texas House of Representatives, was presented the Drum Major for Justice Award. The award is given to an individual who perpetuates King’s convictions “to make justice, equality and opportunity a reality for all people.” The award’s name comes from King’s Drum Major Instinct sermon, in which he said, “If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness.” Delco, a parishioner at Holy Cross Parish in Austin, served in the Texas House from 1975 to 1995 and was Bishop Brendan J. Cahill of Victoria was the keynote speaker at the Martin Luther King Prayer Service. (Photo by Enedelia J. Obregón)
the first black official elected from Travis County, later House District 50. As speaker pro tempore in 1991, she was the first woman and second black person to hold the second-highest position in the Texas House. Bishop Joe Vásquez led the service entitled “Open Wide Our Hearts ... to be Drum Majors for Justice,” and included Gospel songs by the Holy Cross Parish choir that set the bishops’ toes tapping, a musical reflection by the Holy Cross Parish Sacred Dance Ministry, and a sacred dance by the Danza Azteca de Cristo Rey Parish in Austin, as well as prayers for promoting harmony and justice. Bishop Brendan J. Cahill of Victoria was the keynote speaker. He earned a master’s of theology degree with a specialization in African-American Catholic Studies from Xavier University in New Orleans. He also has served as a member of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ sub-committee on African-American Affairs. In his keynote, Bishop Cahill focused on King’s “A Letter from Birmingham,” so titled because he wrote it while in jail in that city on April 16, 1963. He was incarcerated for leading a protest for civil rights for blacks. A court had forbidden him to do so. King wrote his letter in response to one written by eight white clergy in Birmingham that called for King and “outsiders” to stop protesting and let the courts work toward integration. Among the clergy signing that letter was Joseph A. Durick, auxiliary bishop of the Catholic Diocese of
Mobile-Birmingham. King’s letter publicly excoriated the signers, Bishop Cahill said. This had a profound effect on Bishop Durick, who began his episcopacy in 1954 as a conformist. “He had shown little concern for the disenfranchised,” Bishop Cahill said. In his letter, King wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” King pointed out, “I guess it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say ‘wait.’” “Thanks to Dr. King, Durick was able to change the course of his life,” Bishop Cahill said. King used nonviolence as a means to justice. He also had a method. First, he talked to people affected by the problem of discrimination and segregation. He then collected the facts around the issue. Then, he negotiated with those in power and in the posi-
Liturgical dancers from Holy Cross Parish in Austin danced during the prayer service honoring Martin Luther King on Jan. 11. (Photo by Gabriel Lujan)
tion to make changes. He also took the very important step of self-purification through prayer, Bishop Cahill said. “He then took direct action and spoke up for the rights of humanity that needed to be protected,” Bishop Cahill said. “He saw a path for our future. And just look at the effect it had on one person.” Bishop Durick, who died in 1994 at age 79, “got stung by a gadfly” carefully crafted by King that pointed out the racial injustices suffered by so many, Bishop Cahill said. “(Durick) changed and saw the need to step up for others,” Bishop Cahill said. That conversion of the heart cost
See MLK on Page 3
Bishop’s Interview
Help with tuition
Marching for Life
Español
Bishop Joe Vásquez discusses the importance of the sacrament of reconciliation. PAGE 15
Assistance is available for those who want to send their children to Catholic schools. PAGE 5
Thousands gather in Washington for March for Life.
El Censo 2020 está en camino hacia las casas a lo largo de la diócesis. PAGE 24
PAGE 9