Normally, the annual peace walk at St. Bernardine features a procession through the neighborhoods surrounding the West Baltimore parish.
While ice and cold weather prevented an outdoor presence this year, the program went on inside the church.
“It’s cold out there, but it’s warm in here,” Archbishop William E. Lori said in his opening remarks at the 12th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. /Rev. Monsignor Edward Michael Miller Peace Walk.
The archbishop called on everyone to “move forward to a future full of hope … for racial justice, for nonviolence, for advancing the cause of civil rights.” He later noted that it is important to always remember the life and teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. “so that we might overcome all forms of prejudice and bigotry.”
As the featured speaker, Baltimore City Councilman Paris Gray (District 8) reflected on King’s quote, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Gray drew on his own childhood growing up with a parent who was an addict and witnessing crime, poverty and limited resources. He credits his grandmother, who was “always willing to give to others in need,” and his father, who saw his potential.
“I was able to find fulfillment in helping others,” Gray said. “I’m blessed to have amazing partnerships and scores of good will.”
While the first Peace Walk in 2013 was in honor of King, the subsequent years have been held in memory of Monsignor Miller, too. The longtime pastor of St. Bernardine, who died Dec. 15, 2013, was remembered by Lorrie Winder, who called the monsignor “not only my pastor, he was my friend.”
“He touched my life so deeply, I can’t justly put it in words,” said Winder, sharing how her family returned to St. Bernardine after meeting with Monsignor Miller to discuss her grandmother’s funeral. He was there when she got married, for her children and grandchildren’s various sacraments, and for “the darkest moments of my life,” her husband’s death in-the-line-of-duty in July 2004. A Baltimore police officer, Brian Winder was fatally shot at the Edmondson Village Shopping Center by two men.
“He was on vacation in North Carolina. Two days later, he came to the house and spoke with me,” Winder said. “He would call me time to time. ‘Just checking on you,’ he said until I returned to church. His kindness, he will never be forgotten.”
During the service, the names of those who lost their lives to violence in the surrounding neighborhood, including five unidentified men, were read aloud and remembered. Baltimore Auxiliary Bishops Adam J. Parker and Bruce A. Lewandowski, C.Ss.R., provided prayers and blessings, too. Music, provided by the church choir and band, had the crowd of 100 on their feet and clapping their hands.
“St. Bernardine is an important part of the community,” Gray said, afterward. “For the work they do in the neighborhood, I am excited to work with them.”
While the event at St. Bernardine proceeded indoors, Baltimore’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade was canceled because of the cold weather.
Email Katie V. Jones at kjones@CatholicReview.org
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