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He is fondly and gratefully remembered as the "voice of the voiceless" and the "voice of the oppressed."
And that was a powerful, elegant, but compassionate voice that resonated throughout life's arenas, calling for, demanding justice, love and peace in the streets of Philadelphia, across the country and around the world.
The Rev. Paul Matthew Washington's voice may be stilled, but his legend lives on in the minds, hearts and memories of the untold numbers of people he touched through the years, winning the admiration of friends and enemies alike.
Father Washington, the rector emeritus of the Episcopal Church of the Advocate died Monday of heart failure at Lankenau Hospital. He was 81 and had lived in the Strawberry Mansion section of North Philadelphia since coming to the Advocate in 1962.
He had remained active in the years since he stepped down in 1987 and took on the title of rector emeritus, but remained on the front line in the crusade for social justice despite repeated bouts of ill health.
Mayor John F. Street said he was a great admirer of Washington and that Philadelphia was a better place to live because of his work.
`This is sad news for Philadelphia's faith-based community and for the entire community," said Street. "Father Paul was a devout man of God, with strong convictions and a defiant voice against injustices of all forms."
Rev. Dr. Isaac Miller, Washington's successor at the Advocate, said he knew Father Washington was special the first time he met him in the late 1960s.
"He made it quite clear that he was a priest, no matter what arena he was functioning in," said Miller. "He did not function in a way that his identity as a servant of God and a servant of the church was ever confused."
Father Washington was noted locally, nationally and on the international scene for organizing and leading people of all...