Bishop John C. Wester of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, Utah, spoke at a recent luncheon held to honor Martin Luther King. It was inspirational and I felt honored to be able to attend. I wish that more people could have heard this speech. A small part of Bishop Wester’s speech is included in the video below.

For those that have trouble hearing this speech, I have included part of it below:

He did much to leave our country a better place, where peace and harmony could thrive. He brought us a long, long way. And although we have a long way to go, we are not defeated. We are after all a people of hope. A hope enlivened by President-elect Obama, in his historic journey to the white house. He has proven that Martin’s dream is more than that. It is a vision of greater things to come. The first installments of which we are all living in these days of transition. It is fitting then that we pause to remember Martin Luther King Jr. today as we anticipate the inauguration next week.

Ours is an arduous task as we seek to live the values that Martin Luther King espoused.

Taking that path of Desmond Tutu, we seek to fashion a country that embraces eulogy, harmony, and peace.

While this task is daunting, there are ways to begin immediately. For example, this January 19th is a Martin Luther King Jr. day of service. Based on his quote, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve,” we are inspired to strengthen our communities and achieve common goals through service.”

Last year, hundreds of thousands of citizens across the nation participated in this day of service. What a great way to honor Martin Luther King. Not by taking the day off, but by making the 19th a day of service.

The Drum Major Awards luncheon has been held annually in Utah to pay tribute to community leaders that showed the “drum major instinct, that Martin Luther King referred to during a talk in a 1968 sermon. In that sermon, King requested that he would be remembered as a person who tried to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, be right on the [Vietnam] war question, and love and serve humanity.

Martin Luther King gave over 2,000 speeches in his lifetime and is known as a human rights icon. In 1963, when he led people in the March on Washington, to deliver his I have a dream, speech he became known as one of the greatest orators in United States history. Martin Luther King was one of the youngest people to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in ending racial segregation. He was assasinated on April 4, 1968.

His legacy however, lives on.