Struggle for religious liberty continues

Catholics show their support during a rally for religious freedom in downtown Minneapolis. Dave Harbacek, Catholic News Service

The Fortnight for Freedom, which Catholics celebrated for the first time last year, takes place from June 21 to July 4 this year.

As with the first Fortnight for Freedom, the kickoff occurs on the vigil of the Feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More and ends on American Independence Day.

The Fortnight will begin in the Diocese of Corpus Christi with a Mass at the Cathedral on June 21, celebrated by Bishop Wm. Michael Mulvey. The Mass is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

The day before the initiation of the Fortnight for Freedom, Matthew Moore will begin a series of classes under the heading of “The Courage to be Catholic - Voting Your Conscience.” The talks will focus on voting and Church teaching, as well as the importance of religious freedom.
Moore will make six presentations throughout the diocese by invitation of Bishop Mulvey. His presentation will cover the U. S. Bishops’ document “Faithful Citizenship,” which teaches principles that form the conscience of Catholic people. The first class will be held June 20 from 6-8 p.m. at Holy Family Parish, located at 2509 Nogales Street in Corpus Christi.

“Last year, we saw a great diversity of events promoting religious freedom across the country,” said a spokesman for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops who is sponsoring the two-week event.

In 2013, Americans face many challenges to religious liberty, including the Aug. 1 deadline for religious organizations to comply with the mandate by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to include birth control and abortifacient in their health insurance plans. Another issue facing people of faith are potential Supreme Court rulings that could redefine marriage in June, causing serious religious liberty issues for Catholic adoption agencies and many others.

During the Fortnight, the Catholic liturgical calendar honors several martyrs who remained faithful in the face of persecution by political power—St. John the Baptist, Sts. Peter and Paul, the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome, St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More.

“Through prayer, study, and peaceful public action during the Fortnight for Freedom, we hope to remind ourselves and others all throughout the United States about the importance of preserving the fundamental right of religious freedom,” the bishops spokesman said.

In the Diocese of Corpus Christi, the emphasis for the Fortnight will be at the parish level, where the faithful will engage in praying the rosary, will include the intention in the prayers of the faithful at every Mass during the fortnight, pray the prayer for Religious Freedom at all parish functions and will close the fortnight with Mass on July 4.