Perhaps you have seen the 1947 movie, “Miracle on 34th Street.” A department-store Santa Claus (Kris Kringle), recruited during a Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, claims in fact to be Santa Claus. As the movie unfolds, Kringle’s claim is put to the test – and so are the beliefs and convictions of all those involved in sorting out his situation. In the process, this mysterious man opens the hearts of hard-nosed, skeptical people to lessons of hope and generosity.
A miracle of sorts occurred Aug. 6 on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard here in Baltimore. It was the blessing and opening of the Mother Mary Lange Catholic School. Santa Claus was not involved in the miracle but rather a saintly woman – Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange – for she is the one who inspired and continues to inspire this entire project.
When the idea of building a new Catholic school in West Baltimore was first…