The Catholic Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama held it Diocesan Prayer Breakfast in commemoration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Cathedral of St. Paul’s Life Center.

The guest speaker was Father Kareem R. Smith, who was ordained to the priesthood on May 26, 2018, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York by Cardinal Timothy Dolan. Currently, Father Smith serves as the pastor of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in New Rochelle, NY. His ministry, however, extends beyond parish life. He is the senior chaplain for the Pierre Toussant Scholarship Program, the chaplain for black Catholics in the Archdiocese of New York, president of the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus, and a board member of the National Black Catholic Congress. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Iona Preparatory School and Cardinal Spellman High School. Father Smith champions black Catholic spirituality, youth engagement, and liturgical diversity across the United States.

Speaking on Dr. King’s “Letter from the Birmingham Jail,” Father Smith reminded the audience that the Church has always spoke out against injustice. “We must not remain silent while injustice manifests all over the world. He pointed out the Church must remember who we are and whose we are: disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.” The priest also instructed those present to “turn off the noise.” In a world offering a constant stream of rhetoric, inner peace can be obtained by simply stepping away.

Breakfast attendee Ruth Wallace reflected on Father Smith’s address, saying: “When we look at other people with disdain or assign them labels, we are talking about a child of God-the same God Who made you and me. God did not assign you labels when you came into the world. We must look at our neighbors with love no matter who they are.”

Following Father Smith’s address, Deacon Jacky Rodgers and Bobrenti “Brent” Patterson were recognized as winners of the 2026 Sister Rita Washington, S.F.C.C., Stewardship Award for their commitment and service to the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama, the Office of Black Catholic Ministry, their parish, and the community.

Brent Patterson

Bobrenti “Brent” Patterson converted to Catholicism 15 years ago, having been away from the Baptist faith of his childhood for over a decade. At his home parish, Our Lady of Fatima in Birmingham, the last 15 years has seen Patterson’s involvement grow and deepen with him serving as parish council vice president, Mass representative, speaker, lector, retreat organizer, catechist, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, liturgy committee member, and associate member of Our Lady of Fatima’s St. Vincent’s de Paul Society Conference. He also joined the Knights of Peter Claver, reaching the 3rd degree of membership. On a diocesan level, Patterson is a mentor to youth and young adults throughout the diocese, including FOCUS Missions and Life Teen Missions. He also is a member of the Office of Black Catholic Ministries Advisory Board and serves as a lector and altar server for EWTN's televised Mass at the Our Lady of the Angels Chapel in Irondale. In the community, Patterson has worked with Habitat for Humanity, Jimmie Hale Mission, the Love Lady Center, Fire House Shelter Ministries, Friars of the Poor of Jesus Christ, Ascension/UAB Camp Bluebird, the American Heart Association, Toys for Tots, Angel Tree Kids, and countless other entities. Patterson is currently pursuing his master’s in theological studies at St. Leo University. 

With the support of his wife of 17 years, Dawn, all of Patterson’s work as a “current foot soldier, change-maker, and bridge-builder, carrying out our Catholic social teachings and answering God’s call to be a servant leader,” garnered his recognition as a Sister Rita Washington Stewardship Award recipient by the diocesan Office of Black Catholic Ministry. Patterson accepted the award as a clarion call to continue carrying a “torch of hope aimed at the fight for freedom, social justice, diversity, and racial equality for all.” The award, for him, is affirmation to keep “fighting for the dignity of every human person, family, and community.” 

Jacky Rodgers

Introduced to the Catholic Church by his mother, Deacon Jacky Rodgers attended St. Mary’s Catholic Church and Elementary School where he served as an altar server before attending Holy Family Catholic High School in Ensley. He has been married to his wife, Patricial Gayle, for 47 years and they share one son, Gregory, and two grandsons, Gregory, Jr., and Joseph.

His heart of service led him to a career teaching high school students at Wenonah High School in Birmingham and ultimately to being ordained a permanent deacon on Dec. 1, 2018. His service to St. Mary’s and Holy Family includes parish council president, CYO director, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, Knights of Peter Claver, minister to the sick, and minister to the incarcerated at William Donaldson Correctional Facility. Reflecting on his life of service recognized by the Sister Rita Washington Stewardship Award, Deacon Rodgers stressed, “We are duty bound to show mercy and forgiveness in order to receive it ... Love will always be stronger than hate.”

Along those lines, James Watts, director of the diocesan Office of Black Catholic Ministry, highlighted the significance of the breakfast being held at the Cathedral of St. Paul, where in 1921, Father James Coyle was murdered for officiating the marriage of a Ku Klux Klan’s daughter with a Puerto Rican Catholic. “Hosting the prayer breakfast at the cathedral, where a hateful event occurred,” Watts explained, “shows what the power of love and forgiveness can do. The two men being honored exemplify characteristics of Father James Coyle - Brent Patterson for his courage, being on fire with the Holy Spirit, love of the Eucharist, and, most of all, being a bridge-builder and Deacon Jacky Rodgers for his compassion, empathy, love of people, and his commitment to the spread of the Gospel.”