Around this time last year, I walked down the hall of St John Neumann Elementary School. As is usual, students had artwork hanging on the wall. And, as is always quite usual in a school setting, the focus was timely. January includes Martin Luther King Day; February is set aside as African American History Month. So, I saw a good number of pictures of people like Frederick Douglass— who wrote a firsthand account of how brutal slavery in America had been—and Dr Martin Luther King—whose nonviolent spirit promoted racial justice in the 1960s.

I thought at the time, “There are Catholics who are part of the African American story as well.” People like Thea Bowman, a musician and religious sister who stood before the American Bishops Conference to talk about the needs of Black Catholics. Pierre Toussaint, a slave refugee from Haiti who provided shelter for orphans and was a leader in the building of the first St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. Mother Henriette DeLille, Fr Augustus Toten, Mother Mary Lange—religious leaders who served God’s people, especially among the poor. All Venerables or Servants of God, all on their way to be recognized as Saints. We should see their faces. We should know their stories. They’re a vital part of the diversity that makes Catholicism catholic.

This weekend, you’ll see in our schools and at St Boniface Church a poster honoring these holy men and women (along with some saints from Africa—St. Mauritius and the martyr St. Charles Lwanga). We know that could, and I hope will, add to these images the pictures of Asian and Latino saints. For they, as well, are a vibrant part of our Catholic heritage.

In addition, St. John Neumann Regional Academy will celebrate with us on Martin Luther King Day at our 8 a.m. Mass. Please join us to pray for an increase of peace and justice in our world, our nation, and our hearts. After Mass, the students will spend the rest of their morning doing works of service—helping in all sorts of places in our parishes, schools, and community. Be part of that day of prayer and work. Let’s do our part to make a world free from violence, ready to serve in love. Fr. McCreary