Westfield church hosts 36th Annual Interfaith Service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Holy Trinity Church in Westfield hosted an Interfaith Service honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Jan. 16. A police-escorted march consisting of around 250 people preceded the event, winding its way from the Dr. King monument on South Avenue Circle and concluding at Holy Trinity Church.
Religious leaders and community members came for the Dr. Martin Luther King Association’s 36th Annual Interfaith Service and march. The service has been held in Westfield since the formation of the Dr. Martin Luther King Association of Westfield in 1987.
At 1 p.m., the interfaith service began as religious leaders from various faiths and denominations spoke about the town’s progress toward social and racial justice.
Father Anthony Randazzo, pastor of Holy Trinity Church, said highlights of the service were the Dr. King litany (derived from the King Center in Atlanta) that was prayed by the religious leaders “capturing the prayerful historical journey to racial harmony,” and the Interfaith Choir and its singing of Gospel music.
Another key moment, and a staple of the event every year, is the annual Essay, Art, and Poetry Contest. Students from Westfield schools, both public and private, submit works focusing on themes of diversity, equity, inclusion, and the teachings of Dr. King. The local faith leaders present the awards to the students at the service.
Two students from Holy Trinity won first-place awards: Aedan Payumo in the “Intermediate Essay” category and Matteo Frungillo in the “Intermediate Poetry” category.
For Father Randazzo, holding this service every year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an important reminder of Jesus’ teachings and how we live them in our current society.
“Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is celebrating Jesus’ teachings of love and compassion for all,” he said. “Holy Trinity was honored to host the annual MLK Service, particularly through times questioning the dreams of Jesus, the teacher of loving respect and inclusion.”
And, as the youth who participated in the event demonstrated, the service is important in instilling love and compassion in the next generation. Take, for example, the opening lines of Frungillo’s poem that won first place:
“If I cannot do great things
I can do small things in a great way,”
Martin Luther King Jr. said.
That advice is forever inside of my head.
Small acts of kindness every day
Keep evil and hatred far away.
Joe Jordan is a writer with Jersey Catholic, Archdiocese of Newark.
(Matt Kadosh/TAPinto Westfield)
(Matt Kadosh/TAPinto Westfield)
pastor of Holy Trinity Church
Featured image: Participants of the Interfaith Service march from the Dr. King monument on South Avenue Circle to Holy Trinity Church (Credit: Matt Kadosh/TAPinto Westfield).
