Bishop Burbidge challenges Catholics in Mass honoring Martin Luther King Jr.

January 16, 2024 by Jim Hale | Catholic Herald Staff Writer

During the Mass in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Jan. 14 at St. John Neumann Church in Reston, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge posed the same question that Jesus asked his disciples. Quoting the Gospel reading from John 1:38, Bishop Burbidge asked, “ ‘What are you looking for?’ No doubt, we are certainly looking for the eradication of every form of prejudice, bigotry and racism, for as Dr. King states: ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ As hard as it is to acknowledge, racism and bigotry remain present even in our country, communities, and beyond. Sadly, some of our own brothers and sisters here present today can testify to that reality. I am so grateful to the members of the Diocesan Racism Council for the guidance and wisdom they are offering me so that we, with God’s grace, can do our part as a diocesan family to end the horrific sin of racism.”

Celebrating Black Catholics

November 8, 2022 by Kevin Schweers | Catholic Herald Executive Editor of Content

A Haitian slave who became a wealthy New York City hairdresser and Catholic philanthropist. The foundress of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, a congregation of African American religious women, nearly 200 years ago. The first U.S. Catholic priest known to be Black.

Advisory Council on Racism

Bishop Burbidge announced the decision to form an Advisory Council on Racism at the Requiem for the Black Children of God, a prayer service held in early August, to be comprised of Black Catholic leaders, including clergy, lay men and lay women. Candidates were considered after receiving recommendations from pastors, The Office of Multicultural Ministries, and other ministry leaders.

Multicultural Mass Information

Discover when and where to attend a Mass in a different language or with a specific culture. The Catholic Diocese of Arlington offers multiple, regular Masses for the following communities: Brazilian, Cameroon, Deaf Ministry, Eritrean (Ge'ez Rite), Filipino, Irish (Gaelic), Ghanaian, Indian Syro-Malabar Rite, Indian (Tamil), Korean, Sierra Leone and Vietnamese.