Martin Luther King’s dream “still lives five
decades later.” The Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Donald William Wuerl remembered King’s famous speech, emphasising how committed the Catholic Church in the U.S. also is to working towards racial and social justice.
“The majestic statue of King at his new memorial in Washington reminds us of his towering achievement in bringing our nation to a fuller awareness of the equality of all people before God. His dream, with its roots deep in prayer and sacred Scripture, continues to challenge us to see each other as brothers and sisters, children of the same loving God,” Cardinal Wuerl wrote in an article published by the National Catholic Reporter.
“Standing with him at the Lincoln Memorial,” Cardinal Wuerl recalled, “was my predecessor as archbishop of Washington, Archbishop Patrick O'Boyle, who offered the invocation, praying "that the ideals of freedom, blessed alike by our religious faith and our heritage of democracy, will prevail in our land." O’Boyle encouraged local Catholic groups, parishes and universities to take part in the 28 August 1963 march, “offer hospitality to out-of-town marchers, and to march with their pastors, carrying banners displaying the names of their parishes or organizations.”
“We honour his legacy and that of O'Boyle by continuing their work. Today this effort also takes the form of providing educational opportunities for all children, but particularly for those who would otherwise be consigned to schools too often designated as "failing”,” Washington’s archbishop said. The 96 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Washington serve almost 30.000 children in the nation’s capital and Maryland. Many of these pupils are minorities and not Catholic.
“For the upcoming 2013-14 school year, the archdiocese has awarded $5.5 million in tuition assistance, more than a sixfold increase in recent years,” Cardinal Wuerl added.