Friday morning’s weather tried its best to discourage us. Single‑digit temperatures, blowing snow, and a slowed commute made it clear that winter had arrived in earnest. Yet by the time we gathered in our cafeteria for our Martin Luther King, Jr. prayer service, something warmer was already taking hold — a reminder of why this day, and this community, matters.
In what has become a meaningful tradition at Cristo Rey St. Martin, we honor Dr. King through a Baptist or A.M.E. prayer service. This year, our own Dean of Students, Pastor Pierre Edmonds — an A.M.E. minister from North Chicago — led us in worship. While we are proudly a Catholic school, not everyone in our community is Catholic. What unites us is something deeper: a shared belief in the God‑given dignity of every person. Praying together across faith traditions strengthens who we are.
The theme of the service, “Everyone Can Make a Difference,” was grounded in the day’s Gospel reading from James: “Faith apart from works is barren.” Two students offered reflections that brought those words to life.
Kylie, a sophomore, spoke honestly about the tension within that phrase. She shared how inspiring it can be to believe that small actions matter — that you don’t need fame or power to contribute to something bigger than yourself. At the same time, she acknowledged how challenging that call can feel. “Just believing something isn’t enough,” she reminded us. Faith, she said, must be expressed through compassion, integrity, and concrete action.
Allison, a junior, reflected on Dr. King’s courage — his willingness to act even when doing so put his life at risk. What inspired her most was his trust in God and his belief that one person, rooted in faith, could change the world. She connected that legacy to her own experiences of service, noting that volunteering and showing up for others are ways we live our faith not at a distance, but up close. Small acts, she said, add up — whether packing meals, serving the forgotten, or simply checking in on someone who feels unseen.
Listening to our students, I was reminded of Claudette Colvin, who passed away recently. At just fifteen years old — the same age as many of our students — she refused to surrender her dignity on a Montgomery bus. Her quiet courage helped ignite a movement that would transform this nation. She embodied Dr. King’s conviction that “Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve.”
Our guest minister reinforced that message with a powerful challenge. “Believing something is wrong is not real faith until you do something about it,” he preached. If bullying is wrong, if injustice is wrong, what good is our belief unless it leads to action? “Dreams without action are failures,” he said. “If not you, then who?”
As he spoke, I looked out the wall of windows behind us. The sun had emerged, but the snow was still blowing and drifting. It struck me how fitting that image was. Our nation and our world feel cold and chaotic right now. We see fear, violence, and suffering in our communities, including recent harm connected to immigration enforcement here and across the country. We are also witnessing a troubling resurgence of racism in our public life.
Yet inside that warm space at CRSM, praying together, we claimed a deeper truth. We are children of God, brothers and sisters to one another, and partners in building the Kingdom of God here on earth — a Kingdom marked by justice, mercy, and peace. At Cristo Rey St. Martin, we strive to live into the world as it should be, not as it is. Our students give me hope that the unfinished work of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement continues in capable, faithful hands.
May our prayers echo Dr. King’s own: “Use me, God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself.”
¡Viva, Cristo Rey!