In the Spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase,” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated over 50 years ago, but his legacy lives on throughout our world, country, and within our local communities.

Observed each year on the third Monday in January as “a day on, not a day off,” Martin Luther King Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities.
On Monday, January 18th, in commemoration of this special day, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Paterson will be welcoming dozens of volunteers to their Fr. English Food Pantry in Paterson. These volunteers will sort food, stock shelves and help the pantry persevere on through this challenging time. Over the last 2 months, over 50,000 individuals have received food from Catholic Charities’ 3 food pantries, including the Fr. English Center.

“When our volunteers begin on this special day, we speak to them of the important ministry of Catholic Charities.  We tell them about Catholic Social Teaching, including the theme of rights and responsibilities/social justice, which Dr. Martin Luther King so eloquently preached about. We encourage them to look for places in their community and find ways to be of assistance. During this time of national turmoil, we need to reach out to help others and to heal our communities,” said Sr. Maureen Sullivan the Director of Pastoral Ministry, Community Programs and Volunteers at Catholic Family and Community Services.

In addition to the day of service, and in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the organization has also recently created a Justice Committee, an official Board of Trustees reporting committee, consisting of board members, agency leaders and direct program staff members.

The mission of the Justice Committee is: "To serve Catholic Charities of Paterson, as a resource and catalyst for its work of social justice.  Operating as a committee of the Board of Directors, our activities will be rooted in the biblical and theological foundations of Catholic social teaching, the Directives of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the directives of Bishop Kevin Sweeney.  We will pursue issues which address the dignity and rights of people who are socially, politically, or economically disadvantaged with a special focus on the issues that impact the clients and staff of Catholic Charities and the communities it serves."

“Jesus said ‘blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice.’ Organizationally, we hope to walk in the footsteps of Christ and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We strive to do more than provide help; we want to have a sustained focus on changing structures that stand in the way of people being treated fairly by society. We want to learn, grow, and motivate others to bring change,” said Rev. Msgr. Herbert Tillyer, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Paterson Board President.

“We would like to thank the volunteers who have pledged to join us on this special day, including our friends from St. Joseph’s and the young leaders from Montclair State University. We would also like to thank our newly formed Justice Committee, led by Dr. Michelle Baron-Romans, for striving for equality, justice and for creating hope in our communities. God bless those who are motivated by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to help those most in need,” said Scott Milliken Catholic Charities, Diocese of Paterson Chief Executive Officer.