Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Vigil Mass

[Brennan_Doherty]

Today (Saturday evening) there was a Memorial Vigil Mass honoring Martin Luther King Jr. at our city’s Cathedral. It was celebrated by a Bishop.

In the homily Martin Luther King Jr. was called a martyr and eulogized. Actually, I probably heard more about him than any Saint at a Sunday obligation Mass.

I have nothing against Martin Luther King Jr. but the idea of a Memorial Vigil Mass honoring a non-Catholic minister seemed odd to me. I am wondering about its licitness (but not about the validity of the Mass itself, of course).

Any thoughts?

 

[puzzleannie]

a memorial Mass can be celebrated for anyone, Catholic or non-Catholic, on request of Catholic relatives or friends, so can a Mass for the repose of his soul. If I can do it for my uncle, don’t know why it can’t be done for a public figure. a eulogy is always out of place at such a Mass, as for a funeral, but there is no harm in mentioning aspects of the persons life that illustrate the values and teachings in the readings and Christ’s teaching applied. you would ordinarily not hear about a saint at a Sunday obligation Mass, but at the memorial on that saint’s feast (unless it is someone like John the Baptist who comes up in today’s reading).

 

[Brennan_Doherty]

a memorial Mass can be celebrated for anyone, Catholic or non-Catholic, on request of Catholic relatives or friends, so can a Mass for the repose of his soul. If I can do it for my uncle, don’t know why it can’t be done for a public figure. a eulogy is always out of place at such a Mass, as for a funeral, but there is no harm in mentioning aspects of the persons life that illustrate the values and teachings in the readings and Christ’s teaching applied. you would ordinarily not hear about a saint at a Sunday obligation Mass, but at the memorial on that saint’s feast (unless it is someone like John the Baptist who comes up in today’s reading).

Thanks for the response.

I understand that you can have a Mass said for anyone, but this Mass seemed more like it was the way a Mass would be celebrated for a Saint in the way it was labeled. Also, Martin Luther King Jr. was talked about and praised in the homily (eulogized) but I don’t want to say that technically it was a “eulogy.”

 

[benedictgal]

Thanks for the response.

I understand that you can have a Mass said for anyone, but this Mass seemed more like it was the way a Mass would be celebrated for a Saint in the way it was labeled. Also, Martin Luther King Jr. was talked about and praised in the homily (eulogized) but I don’t want to say that technically it was a “eulogy.”

Inasmuch as one can offer a Mass for the repose of the soul of someone Catholic or non-Catholic, it is problematic when they become the focus of the homily. The homily should be centered around the Gospel (in this case, John the Baptist pointing out that Jesus is the true Lamb of God). Now, one can mention MLK in passing since this is the Week for Prayer for Christian Unity. I wouldn’t necessarily regard MLK so much as a martyr in the way the Church looks at martyrdom. You can die for a cause, but, you are considered a martyr if you die for your Faith as did St. Agnes, Blessed Miguel Pro and St. Maximilian Kolbe.

Please don’t get me wrong. MLK stood for many good things. However, we need to place things in their proper perspective as Catholics.

 

[Brennan_Doherty]

Inasmuch as one can offer a Mass for the repose of the soul of someone Catholic or non-Catholic, it is problematic when they become the focus of the homily. The homily should be centered around the Gospel (in this case, John the Baptist pointing out that Jesus is the true Lamb of God). Now, one can mention MLK in passing since this is the Week for Prayer for Christian Unity. I wouldn’t necessarily regard MLK so much as a martyr in the way the Church looks at martyrdom. You can die for a cause, but, you are considered a martyr if you die for your Faith as did St. Agnes, Blessed Miguel Pro and St. Maximilian Kolbe.

Please don’t get me wrong. MLK stood for many good things. However, we need to place things in their proper perspective as Catholics.

John the Baptist was mentioned in the homily but then used as a segue to talk about MLK who was pretty much the focus of the homily. So I wouldn’t say he was mentioned in passing. And I agree with your comments about martyrdom which is why it sounded odd to me when he was mentioned as a martyr in the homily. A bulletin was handed out to everyone prior to the Mass with the Mass announcing that this was an MLK Memorial Vigil Mass.

Anyway, the experience seemed odd to me in that MLK seemed to get more attention and focus than most Saints do (even on weekday Masses or Saint’s days).