King Sermon - Part 1

In 1965, as a part of the Festival of Grace, celebrating the 1964 completion and consecration of Grace Cathedral, Bishop James Pike invited Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to visit and preach at Grace Cathedral. Dr. King accepted and the date was set; March 28th, the fourth Sunday of Lent. Crowds already surged around the Cathedral by early morning, and by 10 a.m. the building was packed. Grace Cathedral had never before seen so many people, most of them African-American. Crowds filled the front stairs, plaza, Cathedral House, and parking lot. Approximately 5,000 people were present.