Walk The Walk Week Annual Prayer Service
This year marked the eighth campus-wide observation of Walk the Walk Week, a series of events and discussions designed to reflect on the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and to foster the type of diverse and inclusive community he dreamed of. On January 22, 2023, the annual prayer service, a standing-room-only event that packed the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, began with an opening prayer by Rev. John I.
Jenkins, C. S. C., before he invited the most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church, to offer a sermon. Father Jenkins prayed: "Holy God, today, we remember Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s struggle for equality, justice, and dignity for African Americans, a struggle that inspired so many other reform movements seeking to highlight the plight of the oppressed in society. We pray that all who serve in civil and religious authority remember that we have all been created in your image, and that the intrinsic dignity within each of us calls for uplifting every person. May your Holy Spirit remind us all that you show no partiality towards nationality, race, ethnicity, or gender. For us to do so is to go against your great commandment of love toward one another. We pray that the Church will not be complicit in injustice by being silent, but that it can rise up with a prophetic voice that speaks with integrity and advances the values of your kingdom. Bishop Curry is the first African American elected to his position and serves as the Episcopal Church's chief pastor, spokesperson, president, and CEO. He is known for his commitment to racial reconciliation, addressing climate change, evangelism, and immigration policy, and for his vision of radical, sacrificial love. His lively reflection tied issues of freedom and division in the Bible, like in the time of the prophet Jeremiah, with more modern issues of slavery, racism, and polarization. Reflecting on the impetus of Walk the Walk Week, Bishop Curry noted that Dr. King's legacy requires the work of continuing it. He quoted Dr. King, saying, "'We must learn to live together as brothers and sisters or we will perish together as fools.' The choice is ours chaos or community. My sisters and my brothers, I want to suggest tonight that if we would discover and find the beloved community, we must go deep. Deep in the soil. Deep in our roots to the very source of light, life, and love itself. Dig deep!" In a note to Notre Dame, Bishop Curry said, "We got troubles. No need to kid each other. But I am so thankful that you are raising up students to take their place in this country and the countries of the world. They must help us create the loving community from our jangles of discord and disharmony. The prayer service featured a backdrop of music by the
University's Voices of Vaith choir and a multicultural Prayers of the Faithful, which featured six students offering the intercessions in their native tongues. It concluded with a candlelit procession to the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue.
The entire service is available for viewing at walkthewalk.nd.edu