From its humble West Baltimore origins, a neighborhood peace event at St. Bernardine Church continues to grow into a can’t-miss, archdiocesan-wide social justice gathering.
“I’m constantly amazed at how it continues to evolve,” said Monsignor Richard Bozzelli, pastor and primary organizer of St. Bernardine’s 13th annual peace walk on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
This year’s event is scheduled for Jan. 19 at noon, honoring the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Monsignor Edward Michael Miller, the parish’s former pastor. It will include a prayer service at St. Bernardine (3800 Edmondson Ave.) and a neighborhood walk, weather permitting. The names of those who died by homicide in the parish’s neighborhoods will be read during the event.
The prayer service, which will be led by Archbishop William E. Lori and Monsignor Bozzelli, will feature a talk by Taylor Branch, a Pulitzer prize-winning author and historian on the Rev. King and the civil rights movement. It will also include a talk by parishioner Deloris Hawthorne about Monsignor Miller, who served at St. Bernardine from 1975 until his death in 2013.
Monsignor Bozzelli explained that the event has transformed over the years due to its place on the calendar. It started as part of Bishop Denis J. Madden’s neighborhood peace walks in 2012. However, since the winter weather is often not always suitable for walking, the parish has expanded the prayer service portion of the event in case the weather doesn’t allow for outdoor activity.
Landing Branch, a Baltimore resident, as the keynote speaker this year was a bonus.
Branch, 78, is a congregant of Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church in Bolton Hill. Monsignor Bozzelli befriended him when he served as pastor at Corpus Christi Church, also in Bolton Hill.
Branch wrote a Pulitzer-prize winning three-volume work on the civil rights movement, “America in the King Years.” He also has written a book on former President Bill Clinton and worked with Democratic presidential nominees George McGovern and Hillary Clinton.
“People who know Taylor and have heard his talks are very excited about having him as our speaker,” Monsignor Bozzelli said.
The prayer service, which will include Scripture readings, often attracts several hundred guests. It will include music performances by St. Bernardine’s choir as well as a citywide choir that is being organized by music director Tony Small.
“The prayer service has really expanded over the years,” Monsignor Bozzelli said. “A lot of that credit goes to Archbishop Lori.”
Archbishop Lori used the service in 2019 to help introduce his pastoral reflection, “The Journey to Racial Justice: Repentance, Healing and Action.” The success of that event led to a permanent expansion of the indoor portion of the service.
The prayer service will be livestreamed on historic St. Peter Claver’s YouTube and Facebook channels. St. Peter Claver and St. Pius V Catholic Church recently merged with St. Bernardine during the Seek the City to Come initiative.
Email Gerry Jackson at gjackson@CatholicReview.org
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