By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – A crowd of more than a hundred gathered in the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. to hear Bishop Fernand Cheri, auxiliary bishop of New Orleans speak about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and about Black History Month.
The program, sponsored by the Office of Black Catholic Ministry, also featured the choir from Jackson Sister Thea Bowman School. The children filled the cathedral with their songs and praise.
Bishop Cheri urged people to take to heart Paul’s call to unity in the Letter to the Corinthians.
John Alford, director of music for Sister Thea Bowman School, leads the children in song at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Black History Month program.
“Christian homes should be havens of peace and comfort,” said Bishop Cheri. The peace and unity we seek is not our own, he explained, it is God’s peace.
His own formula for promoting that peace and unity has four steps. It starts with a personal inventory. “Do you have the help of Christ? When we have trouble we need help from Christ.” he said.
Secondly, Christians should consider the pastoral incentives, meaning that unity will make all our work more powerful. “Unity doesn’t mean simply the absence of conflict, and it doesn’t mean uniformity. It doesn’t mean everyone acts the same, thinks the same, looks the same, walks the same, sing the same songs, pray the same prayers, clap the same, shout the same, etc… It means
Bishop Fernand Cheri, auxiliary Bishop of New Orleans, speaks in the cathedral. (Photo by Maureen Smith)
working peacefully together in the bond of love for the glory of Christ!” he said.
The third step is to follow the practical instructions found in scriptures about unity and ministry, using them to purify their motives and practice meekness.
Finally, Bishop Cheri reminded the audience they have a powerful model for this behavior in Christ. “There is no greater example of meekness and selfless ambition than Jesus. He is our example. He is our pattern. These verses tell of Jesus humbling himself on our behalf, becoming a man, becoming a servant, going to the cross. Who was he thinking of when he did this. I love the little song that says, ‘When He was on the cross you were on his mind.’”
Karla Luke, from the Office of Catholic Education, introduces Bishop Cheri.
Karla Luke, coordinator of operations for the Office of Catholic Schools, introduced Bishop Cheri. She is from New Orleans and her family has known him for many years. “I love the down-to-earth manner Bishop Cheri uses when he delivers his message,” said Luke. “I went home with a firm desire to work harder at fulfilling my baptismal duties to evangelize,” she added.