The Diocese of Buffalo will mark the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday with a special Mass celebrated by Bishop Richard J. Malone on Sunday, Jan. 14, at 10 a.m. at SS. Columba & Brigid Church, 75 Hickory St., Buffalo. Deacon LeRoy T. Gill Jr. of the Archdiocese of Chicago will be the guest homilist.   

Deacon Gill is the founder and president of Gilco Mechanical Contractors, a certified minority business enterprise specializing in plumbing, gas piping and site utilities. Ordained in 2006, Deacon Gill has been addressing the issue of violence for more than eight years, something that began when he was chair of the Black Catholic Deacons of Chicago. He encourages everyone to become part of the solution and to share in the responsibility of addressing increasing violence. Deacon Gill also serves as campus minister at The Academy of St. Benedict the African. At the elementary school, he works with youth bringing the living Gospel into their lives and introducing them to a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Following the Mass, there is will a reception and theme basket auction. Proceeds will go toward the Martin Luther King Scholarship Fund.

On Monday, Jan. 15, a Day of Community Organizing will be held at the SS. Columba & Brigid Church hall. The goal is to address social change. Dr. Barry Gan, a long-time philosophy professor at St. Bonaventure University, and Pastor James Giles from Back to Basics Outreach Ministries will join VOICE Buffalo staff in educating people about Dr. King and the impact that community organizing had on his work. They will discuss the basics of community organizing and how it can be applied to issues in various communities. The program, which is free, begins with registration at 9 a.m. and runs until noon.  All are welcome.

For more information about the Mass or the Day of Community Organizing, contact the Diocese of Buffalo's Office of Cultural Diversity at 847-2217.