SAN ANGELO, Texas — San Angelo’s Martin Luther King Jr. Association concluded its MLK Day celebrations by hosting a midday service at the Cathedral Church of the Sacred Heart, the day of the late civil rights leader's birthday.
The ceremony took place as scheduled despite it being an exceptionally cold day in West Texas. Snow from the day before still covered patches of ground near the church with temperatures remaining below freezing for much of the day.
Monday’s ceremonies began with a prayer and a reading of scripture after announcements from the Rev. Craig Meyers, who recently retired from the clergy. The ceremony included readings of excerpts from some of King’s most well-known works, including his Letter from Birmingham Jail and his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech.
The congregation also sang hymns including “Amazing Grace” and “Precious Lord” before finishing the ceremony with “We Shall Overcome.”
A display at the entrance showed some of the most significant moments of the Civil Rights era, including newspaper headlines from Emmett Till’s lynching, Bloody Sunday in Selma and King’s assassination.
The service wrapped up three days of events for the Martin Luther King Jr. Association which included youth night at St. Mark Presbyterian Church Saturday and a musical at New Jerusalem Church of God in Christ Sunday.