Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON — (WMAL) In September, Pope Francis will be visiting D.C. In preparation for his trip, the Archdiocese of Washington and Catholic Charities are asking everyone, Catholic or not, to take the Walk with Francis pledge by praying, performing community service or acting for social justice.
The pledge is based on the pope’s ministry, which focuses on serving the poor and caring for others and the environment.
“I can’t imagine basically a better gift than this,” said Catholic Charities President Monsignor John Enzler standing in front of the non-profit’s headquarters in NW. The pope will serve dinner to the hungry on that same spot during his visit.
The archdiocese hopes more than 100,000 Washingtonians will take the Walk with Francis pledge. Participants can sign up online at WalkWithFrancis.org and are encouraged to post their commitment on social media.
During the pontiff’s visit, which includes a private meeting with President Barack Obama and a canonization mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Cardinal Donald Wuerl with the Archdiocese of Washington will give him a book with all of the pledges that were posted on social media.
“This book will simply say to the Holy Father, this was our effort to say to you in a visible form there are tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands, of people who are walking with you in caring for the poor,” Wuerl said.
Enzler suggested pledge participants volunteer at homeless shelters to fulfill their service commitments.
Copyright 2015 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (Photo: Heather Curtis)
