Reunion Tower and the Omni Hotel are turned to gold in celebration of International Golden Rule Day on April 5. In 2018 the Diocese of Dallas and Bishop Edward J. Burns started the #Be Golden program to help establish a welcoming community in Dallas. (BEN TORRES/Special Contributor)
Special to The Texas Catholic
In celebration of International Golden Rule Day, the lights of the downtown Dallas skyline turned gold on April 5. The Diocese of Dallas and Catholic Charities Dallas led the way in the effort as part of their #Be Golden initiative.
The diocese and Bishop Edward Burns initiated the #BeGolden program in 2018 to build a more welcoming community in the Dallas area and beyond. #BeGolden aims to educate, inspire and generate action helping to create a world where we treat all people the way we’d like to be treated, regardless of race, faith, socio-economic background or whether they are native-born or immigrant.
Bishop Burns said it is an especially timely reminder as hundreds of unaccompanied minors are housed at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center awaiting the next step in their immigration journey.
“We believe that if we put ourselves in other people’s shoes, especially when it comes to our immigrant neighbors, we’ll discover that we’re more alike than we are different,” Bishop Burns said.
The Golden Rule is a principle of treating others “as we want to be treated,” the bishop explained, adding that it is a universal statement that many hear repeatedly throughout their childhoods and one that crosses most cultural, spiritual, religious, and secular traditions.
“The Golden Rule is a simple one. It’s not a political statement or a legal matter. It’s a human issue,” Bishop Burns said.
Most downtown buildings participated in the effort to turn the skyline gold.
Several Dallas-area Catholic churches and organizations also shined golden spotlights into the sky on April 5 including All Saints, Catholic Charities Dallas, the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Christ the King, Holy Cross, and St. Rita parishes in Dallas. Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Farmers Branch, Prince of Peace Catholic Community and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Plano, St. Ann Catholic Church in Coppell, St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church in McKinney, St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church in Ennis, and St. Joseph Catholic Church in Richardson also participated.
