The Community of Holy Rosary & St. John the Evangelist is hosting its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Monday, Jan. 16 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Columbus Holy Rosary & St. John Church, 648 S. Ohio Ave.

Bishop Earl Fernandes will celebrate Mass at the church and share his homily that day. 

Holy Rosary & St. John has been celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day since it became a holiday in 1986. 

“Actually,” Sister Alberta Wilkes, OSF, said, “Holy Rosary & St. John, under the guidance of Father Mike Gribble, started to celebrate the day even before it was officially a holiday, so I would say we have one of the longest ongoing celebrations of Martin Luther King Day in central Ohio.” 

Father Ramon Owera, the pastor at the parish and also at Columbus St. Dominic Church, will be concelebrating Mass with Bishop Fernandes. “We are so happy the bishop accepted our invitation to celebrate Mass with us, and we look forward to hearing his message that day,” Father Owera said. “We hope persons from the surrounding community and from other churches throughout the diocese will join us.” 

Bishop Fernandes said, “As we celebrate the Mass and honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with Holy Rosary & St. John Church, let us remember the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospel of St. John when He said, ‘Love one another.’ (13:34)

“God doesn’t ask us to undertake monumental tasks, but rather, simply to love. In A Knock at Midnight, Dr. King echoed the words of Our Lord by saying, ‘More than anything else, we’ve got to learn to love.’” 

Holy Rosary & St. John has tried to live out that love throughout its existence. With a welcoming spirit and a range of social services that touch lives throughout Franklin County, the emphasis in the parish has always been on community. 

Teresa Lee is the coordinator of the St. John Learning Center, an adult education program that is part of the parish. “We offer not only a wide range of adult education opportunities through Learning Center programs, but also offer food assistance and medical care through the pantry, Community Kitchen and Order of Malta clinics,” Lee said.

Parish programs that served the neighborhood with food and educational opportunities started in the 1970s and ’80s. The Community Kitchen – a soup kitchen that grew out of those efforts – is now a separate organization but still works closely with the parish. 

The St. John Food Pantry and St. John Learning Center are programs of the parish, with the pantry offering food distributions on Thursdays. The pantry serves people from throughout Franklin County but focuses on assisting families from the Columbus near south and near east sides. 

The St. John Learning Center offers adult education programs from GED high school equivalency classes to business classes to parenting and health and mental health classes, all in partnership with other Columbus organizations. The GED classes, which start in January, will be taught by an educator from Columbus City Schools. 

The Order of Malta Center of Care is also a separate organization that works closely with the parish, providing health and dental services in the St. John Community Center (the former St. John School). 

In addition to these ongoing services, the parish has events that benefit the community, such as its school supply giveaway. Holy Rosary & St. John Church has taken to heart King’s sentiment that “everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.”  

Elizabeth Cary, an organizer of the youth group at Holy Rosary & St. John, invites students to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration: “Most students are off that day, so we hope the youth will turn out for this event as it is an excellent opportunity to learn more about Dr. King’s vision and to hear the bishop’s message.” 

Parish Council president Fern Upshaw said, “I want to make sure that everyone in the neighborhood and throughout the Columbus area knows that this event is open to all. We are a very welcoming parish, and I hope anyone who wants to celebrate Dr. King’s life with us will be there.” 

Music will be a big part of the celebration, with Vernon Hairston directing the gospel choir. The celebration is free and open to the public, although a free-will offering will be collected to help pay for a new roof for the 124-year-old church. 

For more information on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration or any services provided at Holy Rosary & St. John, or to donate to the church roof fund, email [email protected] or call (614) 252-5926, ext. 7.