Cardinal Wuerl to Celebrate Mass, Participate in Prayer Service Commemorating 50th Anniversary of March on Washington

August 23, 2013

On Sunday, August 25, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, will celebrate a Mass for Peace and Justice on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The Mass will provide an opportunity to pray for unity and harmony.

Mass for Peace and Justice – 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington
Sunday, August 25, 2013
5:30 p.m.
Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle
1725 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, Washington, DC

In addition, on Wednesday, August 28, Cardinal Wuerl will participate in the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington “Let Freedom Ring” Interfaith Prayer Service, the official opening of the anniversary day’s events. The prayer service, which will honor the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through prayer, scripture, interfaith reflections, and song, will include leaders from America’s diverse faith traditions and young people from different backgrounds, united by the same cause.

Official “Let Freedom Ring” Interfaith Prayer Service
50th Anniversary of the March on Washington
August 28th, 2013
9:00 a.m.
Shiloh Baptist Church, Washington, D.C.
Rev. Bernice King, presiding

By the time the Supreme Court issued its l954 landmark ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education outlawing segregated schools, integration had been underway for several years at Catholic schools in Washington, D.C. and in surrounding Maryland under the leadership of Washington Archbishop Patrick O’Boyle. On August 28, 1963, Archbishop O’Boyle stood with Dr. King at the Lincoln Memorial and offered the opening prayer, having encouraged local pastors and their parishioners to join the march. Five local parishes – Saints Paul and Augustine, Holy Redeemer, Holy Comforter, Saint Anthony and the Shrine of the Sacred Heart – offered overnight accommodations to out-of-town marchers, and on the morning of the march special Masses were held at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle, and at several other Catholic churches in the city.

The Archdiocese of Washington is home to over 620,000 Catholics, 139 parishes and 96 Catholic schools, located in Washington, DC, and five Maryland counties: Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s.

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