The Cathedral Of St. John The Divine Celebrates The Life Of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Martin Luther King Day Choral Eucharist
2:00 – 3:00 pm
Spiritual Sing with Alice Parker, Chapel of St. James
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine
1047 Amsterdam Avenue at 112th Street
Acclaimed poet Marilyn Nelson will deliver sermon at Choral Eucharist
Spiritual SING with Alice Parker to follow
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine will pay tribute to groundbreaking pastor, activist and humanitarian The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a special Choral Eucharist service, including a sermon by Cathedral Poet in Residence Emerita Marilyn Nelson, on Sunday, January 19, 2020, starting at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, located at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue (at 112th Street). Following the service, all are invited to participate in a Spirituals SING led by Alice Parker, choral conductor, educator, and Artistic Director of Melodious Accord.
The Choral Eucharist service, in commemoration of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and legacy of activism on behalf of African American civil liberties, will include readings from his speeches and other writings, as well as musical selections curated by Director of Music Kent Tritle. Marilyn Nelson, who served as Cathedral Poet in Residence from 2010 – 2019, has won numerous awards for her books of poetry for adults and young readers, many of which explore and celebrate African American history and culture. Her many prizes and accolades include the Poetry Society of America’s highest award, the Frost Medal, for “distinguished lifetime achievement in poetry,” and the NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature.
Following the service, at 2 p.m., legendary composer, conductor, author, teacher and song leader Alice Parker will present an hour of communal singing in honor of Dr. King. African American spirituals were the life-blood of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s movement. “We are an army that will sing but not slay,” he wrote. Of Parker’s work as a leader of group song, one observer remarked, “There is no one who is not a singer when she leads.”
