Cardinal-designate Donald W. Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington D.C., will speak about “Religious Faith’s Role in Building a Good and Just Society,” at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 20, in the Chapel of St. Basil on the University of St. Thomas campus, 3802 Yoakum. The event marks the inaugural lecture for the UST Center for Faith and Culture Master of Arts in Faith and Culture Program.

A live video will be shown in Anderson Hall if guests exceed the capacity of the Chapel. For guests who cannot make it to campus, the lecture will be streamed live on the Internet. 

Pope Benedict XVI named Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl to the College of Cardinals on Oct. 20, the same day he is slated to speak at the University of St. Thomas. A consistory to fomally elevate the new Cardinal will be held at the Vatican on Nov. 20. A Mass will be held with the Pope on the following day. 

Cardinal-designate Wuerl is known nationally for his catechetical and teaching ministry and for his efforts on behalf of Catholic education. In April 2008 Archbishop Wuerl hosted in Washington Pope Benedict XVI on the Holy Father’s historic journey to the United States.

He currently serves on numerous national and international bodies and is chairman of the board of directors of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, chancellor of The Catholic University of America and chairman of the board of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center. He is also chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine and a member of the USCCB Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis.

In his lecture, "Religious Faith’s Role in Building a Good and Just Society," Cardinal-designate Wuerl asserts that the service, which religious faith renders as the conscience of society, is a cornerstone of our American experience.

“We look to religious faith for guidance as we struggle to build a good and just society,” Cardinal-designate Wuerl said. “Faith conviction has a long-standing role in our American culture. It is precisely out of our religious experience that we have been able to form public policy in the United States in the areas of human dignity and the improvement of working conditions.

“We are reminded today that we also have a part in the efforts to transform our world, our society and our culture so that they are truly reflective of those values rooted in human nature and reflected in our faith experience – the bedrock for a culture in which justice and love flourish and peace is sustained,” he said.

The event is free and open to the public. RSVP to Jan Skrehot, Center for Faith and Culture, at 713-942-5066.