RELIGIOUS FREEDOM WEEKLY
During the Christmas season in at least 43 of our state capitols, thousands of Americans encounter a nativity scene with the traditional figures of the Infant Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and the Christmas angel. Thanks to the St. Thomas More Society and the American Nativity Scene volunteers across America are bringing the Creche to prominent public spaces.
The American Nativity Scene Committee was formed with the goal of keeping Christ at the center of our Christmas celebration. Nativity scenes in front of our homes, churches and Catholic schools are outward reminders of God’s love for us and the wonder of His gift to mankind…the gift of His Son. In addition, a creche displayed in a public space often brings about public discussion and debate which is helpful to increase understanding of the rights of free speech and religious freedom.
Too much of our culture now rejects God, faith and religion and insists they be kept out of the public square of ideas and opinions. This reminder and affirmation of Christ’s coming, being born in a stable, sends the message of constancy, renewal of the world and salvation to many souls searching for deeper meaning and hope in their lives.
The American Nativity Scene also helps groups who want to place a crèche in other public, highly visible locations. To find the details go to AmericanNativityScene.com
American Nativity Scene works with attorneys at the Thomas More Society to make sure that groups wanting to sponsor a nativity scene are able to do so, as allowed by law. “Many erroneously assume that government entities are prohibited from allowing a religious display,” explained Thomas More Society Executive Vice President Thomas Olp. He continued, “The law is clear. Government entities may erect and maintain celebrations of the Christmas holiday—or allow citizens to do so on government property, including Nativity scenes, as long as a crèche’s sole purpose is not to promote its religious content, and it is placed in context with other symbols of the season as part of an effort to celebrate the public Christmas holiday through traditional symbols.”
Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/26pm529s https://tinyurl.com/22phyjva
Christian parents and grandparents should expect to hear about Christmas activities at their children’s public schools and to welcome invitations to the school’s Christmas plays, concerts and art exhibits.
The two clauses of the First Amendment which deal directly with freedom of religion are the Establishment Clause (which directs that the government shall not impose a particular religious sect or belief) and the Free Exercise Clause (which directs the government not to interfere with citizens’ free exercise of their chosen faith.)
Repeated efforts to keep Christmas music, manger scenes, and all things to do with Christmas out of our public schools have actually resulted in many Supreme Court decisions which uphold the First Amendment rights of students to experience and learn the history and significance of Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza and other December holidays.
From the First Liberty Institute’s Religious Liberty Protection Kit for Students and Teachers – Pages 12, 13,14: For example, “a federal court held that a public school is allowed to celebrate Christmas (and other holidays with both religious and secular aspects) because doing so serves the educational goal of of advancing students’ knowledge and appreciation of the role that America’s religious heritage has played in the social, cultural and historical development of civilization.”
Also, students may study and perform religious music, art and drama “so long as it is presented in an objective manner as a traditional part of the culture and religious heritage of Christmas. In fact a federal court has held that to allow students only to study and not to participate in religious art, literature and music when such works have developed an independent secular and artistic significance, would give students a truncated view of our culture.”
Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/4xrh52d9 https://tinyurl.com/yc8kwazw
Thanksgiving Proclamation – excerpted [New York, 3 October 1789] By the President of the United States of America
The United States was blessed to be founded by many men and women of great faith. From the Declaration of Independence through the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the doctrine of natural rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, the primacy of the Judeo-Christian ethos, and the belief in a final judgement for each individual are evident. It would then be expected that this new nation would turn in Thanksgiving to God and ask President George Washington to proclaim:
“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer …
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this country… for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; … and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.
…and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually—to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed…To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, —and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.” Go: Washington
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/35kk3jz4
As we watch the process of the peaceful transfer of power following this presidential election, we sometimes hear politicians and citizens referring to God and providence and we hear prayers at various ceremonies. Because we are an exceptional nation, the only to be founded on gifts from our Creator, the natural rights of liberty and freedom, our founders knew America must remain a moral and religious people if these liberties were to thrive.
Before the founding of our nation, the men and women who met to determine the path to take toward victory over oppression routinely began their deliberations with prayer. The only uncertainty was which religious sect’s prayer should be used.
George Washington prepared his troops with military prowess and also in spiritual matters. He appointed chaplains and directed the officers to lead the men in prayer. He ordered Sunday rest and church attendance to nourish the faith of his troops.
Today’s inclusion of prayer before each session of Congress can be traced back to the colonial assemblies, the Second Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention
CFFR provides resources for learning and sharing the importance of religion in our nation:
Catholics For Freedom of Religion (CFFR) is dedicated to educating all Americans about the facts of First Amendment religious freedom - what it is, how dearly it was purchased for us and how quickly it can be lost. Through education, prayer and inspiration, each American is empowered to act, according to his conscience, to preserve religious liberty. CFFR has developed the following materials and programs to assist in this goal:
Empower Our Children: Students of Faith Our lesson empowers students, parents, and teachers by revealing that "Public Schools are not God-Free Zones!"
Student Video and Guide at www.cffor.org
Educational Bulletin Items: Focus on Religious Freedom Emailed weekly to parishes and individuals upon request through email to info@CatholicsforFreedomofReligion.org
Prayer for our country: Rosary for America Praying for the intercession of Mary Immaculate, Patroness of America, to protect each state and guide our leaders in accordance with our Judeo-Christian principles and the principles of our founders. Printable version at www.cffor.org
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/364xv3fn https://tinyurl.com/yt3ant45 https://tinyurl.com/42a4a74v
Every Administration, regardless of party, must be held accountable for protecting First Amendment Freedom of Religion which empowers each American to choose their faith and exercise it freely.
O God our Creator,
from your provident hand we have received
our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
You have called us as your people and given us
the right and the duty to worship you, the only true God,
and your Son, Jesus Christ.
Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit,
you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world,
bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel
to every corner of society.
We ask you to bless us
in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.
Give us the strength of mind and heart
to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;
give us courage in making our voices heard
on behalf of the rights of your Church
and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.
Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,
a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters
gathered in your Church
in this decisive hour in the history of our nation,
so that, with every trial withstood
and every danger overcome—
for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,
and all who come after us—
this great land will always be “one nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
From: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
“[T]he common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights – for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture – is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with the maximum determination.” (Pope St. John Paul II, Christifideles Laici 38)
The Dignity of Marriage and Family
“The first setting in which faith enlightens the human city is the family. I think first and foremost of the stable union of man and woman in marriage. This union is born of their love, as a sign and presence of God’s own love, and of the acknowledgment and acceptance of the goodness of sexual differentiation, whereby spouses can become one flesh (cf. Gen 2:24) and are enabled to give birth to a new life, a manifestation of the Creator’s goodness, wisdom and loving plan.” (Pope Francis, Encyclical Lumen fidei 52)
Religious and Conscience Freedoms
“The preservation of freedom calls for the cultivation of virtue, self-discipline, sacrifice for the common good and a sense of responsibility towards the less fortunate. It also demands the courage to engage in civic life and to bring one’s deepest beliefs and values to reasoned public debate. In a word, freedom is ever new. It is a challenge held out to each generation, and it must constantly be won over for the cause of good.” (Address of His Holiness, Benedict XVI; April 16, 2008; White House, Washington, D.C.)
"Evil preaches tolerance until it is dominant...and then it seeks to silence good."
“To put it simply: Evil cannot bear the counter-witness of truth. It cannot co-exist peacefully with goodness, because evil insists on being seen as right, and worshiped as being right.” Archbishop Chaput, University of Toronto, 2009.
From the teaching of Pope St. John Paul II: “We are facing an enormous and dramatic clash between good and evil, death and life, the `culture of death’ and the `culture of life’. ….we are all involved and we all share in it, with the inescapable responsibility of choosing to be unconditionally pro-life.” Pope John Paul II, Evangelium vitae, (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1995), no. 28
On Mar. 13, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI issued an Apostolic Exhortation, Sacramentum Caritatis, which speaks directly to each Catholic challenged to navigate the secular culture while holding to the teachings of the Catholic church.
Sacramentum Caritatis teaches us, “Worship pleasing to God can never be a purely private matter, without consequences for our relationships with others,” he said, “it demands a public witness to our faith.” “Evidently, this is true for all the baptized, yet it is especially incumbent upon those who, by virtue of their social or political position, must make decisions regarding fundamental values, such as respect for human life, its defense from conception to natural death, the family built upon marriage between a man and a woman, the freedom to educate one's children and the promotion of the common good in all its forms.” “These values,” he said, “are not negotiable.” Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritas, (Vatican City, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2007) Section 83
Once again the USCCB has affirmed in their document Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship that even as we must do all we can to address the many ways human life is threatened, “abortion remains our pre-eminent priority as it directly attacks our most vulnerable brothers and sisters, destroying more than a million lives each year in our country alone.” Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States, Introductory Letter, p.8. (Washington D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 2024)
As we faithful Catholics go to the polls on November 5, we are called upon to put aside personal feelings and personality preferences and to exercise our well-formed consciences as we make our choices in public witness to the teachings of our faith.
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“To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.” ― Sir Winston Churchill
A seven year court battle ending with a Supreme Court victory would have been the very last competition a high school assistant football coach would have anticipated. One such coach, Coach Joe Kennedy of Bremerton High School, Bremerton WA, learned that his unsought battle to preserve his Constitutional rights to free speech and the exercise of his faith in public could benefit millions.
When Coach Kennedy made a personal commitment to give glory to God by kneeling in a silent, personal prayer on the 50 yard line after each game, his employer denied his right to pray in the view of the public and fired him for exercising his first amendment rights.
Although no students were asked or directed to join the coach in prayer, as confirmed by the district, some students did so. Even students from other teams, some visiting coaches and members of the public would join Coach Kennedy on the field for a brief, silent, individual prayer.
Coach Kennedy’s victory for religious freedom, which will benefit aspects of religious freedom for millions was achieved through his faith, determination and knowledge of religious freedom with support from his wife and his attorneys.
Coach Kennedy’s case, presented by First Liberty Institute attorneys, was heard by the Supreme Court which issued a 6-3 opinion on Jue 27, 2022 affirming Coach Kennedy could take a knee in silent prayer even if he can be seen by students and the public.
Con’t: https://tinyurl.com/3a73328b https://tinyurl.com/52tzsasc https://tinyurl.com/2nm4ywrd
See the movie “AVERAGE JOE” the story of Coach Kennedy in theatres as of 10-12-24
(RFRA) Religious Freedom Restoration Act
On Dec. 15, 1791, when the Bill of Rights was added to the U.S. Constitution to further protect the freedoms of individuals, the 1st Amendment’s protections of the right to be free from government-imposed religion and the right to freely exercise one’s chosen faith were deliberately the first of those freedoms. In 1993, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) directing more protection for the free exercise of faith, was introduced by then Rep. Charles Schumer and was unanimously passed by the House. The Senate passed it 97-3 and President Clinton signed the RFRA bill into law.
This extraordinary bipartisan support of religious freedom became the impetus for many states to pass their own RFRA to supplement the Federal RFRA when there was disagreement as to its applicability.
RFRA directed that the government could not “substantially burden” a person’s exercise of faith. The only exception is the existence of a compelling governmental issue in a particular situation and if the burden on the person’s faith was the least restrictive means possible to satisfy the compelling issue.
From our nation’s founding through the bipartisan passage of RFRA, our citizens have been empowered to follow their consciences. As we look for leaders who will support our 1st amendment and RFRA, we can ask candidates of all parties and party policy makers:
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What is your policy on abortion and euthanasia? Do you believe doctors should be mandated to perform abortions and trans-gender surgeries? What is your proposed time limit for abortion?
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Although the FACE Act was passed to protect abortion facilities and also pro-life centers and churches, why is the FACE Act invoked against Pro-Life Americans who are routinely arrested, fined and often imprisoned for peaceful demonstrations? Why have there been only a handful of charges filed regarding the 90 pro-life centers vandalized and fire-bombed and the 200 churches vandalized by pro-abortion activists since the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v Wade?
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Do you support the questioning of judicial candidates about their membership in the Knights of Columbus in denial of Article VI of the Constitution forbidding any religious test for public office?
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Do you support the right of parents to educate their children about sexuality?
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Do you favor the repeal of RFRA?
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Do you support targeting of Catholics who attend the Latin Mass as potential terrorists?
Con’t: https://tinyurl.com/3wjxeam6 https://tinyurl.com/e33uw77s https://tinyurl.com/wxvmd3rb https://tinyurl.com/4zxvd5pb
In 1976, our bicentennial year, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, then the Polish archbishop of Krakow and soon to be named Pope John Paul II, visited Philadelphia for the 41st International Eucharistic Congress. These stunning and enigmatic remarks are from Cardinal Wojtyla’s last speech before leaving America:
“We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think that wide circles of the American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel. This confrontation lies within the plans of divine Providence; it is trial which the whole Church, and the Polish Church in particular, must take up. It is a trial of not only our nation and the Church, but, in a sense, a test of 2,000 years of culture and Christian civilization with all of its consequences for human dignity, individual rights, human rights and the rights of nations.”
Each day, and strikingly during our recent election seasons, we see this test of our culture and of Christian civilization as it is threatened by chaos and evil.
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Will Americans make the choice to protect life at all stages?
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Will Americans turn increasingly from the Biblical truth of Genesis 5:2 “He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind”?
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Will we choose to recognize that parents are the rightful teachers, nurturing their children’s faith and practices and stewarding their education?
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Will our citizens insist on respect for the person and property of others as is commanded in our Judeo-Christian ethos…thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal…thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife…thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods?
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Will Americans respect the truth, a respect fundamental to human civilization...thou shalt not bear false witness?
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Will Americans strive to afford each citizen the right to follow his own conscience as intended with the establishment of religious freedom as this nation’s First Freedom?
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Will Americans sacrifice to preserve the Constitution, seen as a providential miracle by those who painstakingly and bravely constructed it with intelligence, passion, goodwill and faith?
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Will we convey the liberties of our Constitutional Republic to ages and millions yet unborn?
Con’t: https://tinyurl.com/5vy2vhwf https://tinyurl.com/y5966eyb https://tinyurl.com/4jt2yypu
By: Fr. George W. Rutler
“Our faith is based, not on abstract speculation, but on historical events. The Church’s feasts are acts of thanksgiving for actions of God that have affected the course of human existence. On October 7, the Church celebrates the victory of Christian naval vessels over those of the Ottoman Muslims who outnumbered the Christians by more than two to one, and whose ships were manned by upwards of fifteen thousand Christian galley slaves.
“The Battle of Lepanto in 1571 was the greatest naval engagement until the Battle of Jutland in World War I, but it is not commemorated just as a lesson in the art of maritime war. The core of the feast is that it saved Christian civilization. Compared to it, July 4 and Waterloo and Gettysburg and D-Day are ancillary struggles to preserve what would not exist at all, had it not been for 1571.
“We revere the “Star Spangled Banner” whose broad stripes and bright stars gallantly streamed in 1814, but quite more remarkable was the banner held by Gianandrea Doria, great-nephew of the Admiral Andrea Doria, at Lepanto. It bore the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It has been preserved in the cathedral of Genoa.
“Had the battle ended differently, Sultan Selim could have fulfilled his vow to conquer Rome, turning the basilica of Saint Peter into a mosque, despoiling and upending its bells so that they might be filled with oil and burned in honor of Allah, as had been done in 997 at the tomb of Saint James in Compostela.
“We would not be here – nor would our holy religion, our universities, our science, our democracy, our enfranchised women, our justice, our social tolerance, and our entire moral fabric – were it not for Lepanto. The feast of its victory was instituted by Pope St. Pius V and, after the final defeat of the Ottomans in 1716 at Timișoara in present-day Romania… Pope Clement XI made it a universal feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.
“Given the terrors of our present times, it would be well to pray the Rosary on October 7.”
Author: Fr. George W. Rutler, Pastor; Roman Catholic Church of St. Michael, NYC, October 2, 2016
October was designated as the month of the rosary by Pope Leo XIII in 1884 when he asked the entire church to pray the rosary daily.
Pray the “Rosary for America” with us anytime at www.cffor.org
“At this stage of history, the liberating message of the Gospel of Life has been put into your hands. And the mission of proclaiming it to the ends of the earth is now passing to your generation. Like the great Apostle Paul, you too must feel the full urgency of the task: "Woe to me if I do not evangelize" (1Cor 9,16). Woe to you if you do not succeed in defending life.” -Pope Saint John Paul II, Aug. 15, 1993 Denver, CO; World Youth Day
In Nov., 2023 the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved by an overwhelming majority of 225-11 to again include the threat of abortion as a pre-eminent priority in their guide for Catholics, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. The Bishops state that because abortion affects the most vulnerable among us and is responsible for a million deaths of unborn children here in the United States every year, it is an intrinsic evil and must, along with euthanasia, always be opposed.
The choice to support life is more difficult when there is no candidate who perfectly protects unborn life in every situation. Specific commentary on this issue is available referring to the teaching of Pope Saint John Paul II in Evangelium Vitae (73) as he expands on St. Thomas Aquinas’ principle in Summa Theologiae along with teaching from Jesuit moralist Father Henry Davis as referred to in the National Catholic Register’s article: https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/is-there-a-lesser-of-two-evils
The USCCB also points out the importance of Catholic support for Freedom of Religion, which has come under great pressure here in the United States in spite of strong Constitutional support for the freedom to choose one’s religious beliefs and to practice those beliefs openly and without reprisal.
Too many Americans allow their religious practice to be marginalized because of repeated and strident propaganda which has been accepted as truth. Most harmful of the propaganda is the ongoing, deliberate deception that the phrase “separation of church and state” is part of the Constitution and forbids any meaningful public reference to God or morals. This lie perpetuated in our media, schools and universities, is pervasive and unchallenged. In fact, Pres. Thomas Jefferson penned the phrase in support of individual freedom of conscience and cited the First Amendment as protecting churches and individual conscience from government interference “thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.”
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Constitution of the United States: The Preamble
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Since 2005 our nation has celebrated Constitution Day each Sept. 17 which marks the signing of the Constitution in 1787. Each school receiving federal funds is directed by the Department of Education to provide a lesson about the United States Constitution on Sept. 17. Some schools have a Constitution Week with many events, lessons and assemblies focused on our Constitution.
As American citizens experiencing an intense and divisive election season, we would benefit from grounding ourselves in the framework of our nation by reading and considering each word of the preamble to our Constitution. We are the beneficiaries of the first and only documents adopted by a whole nation declaring themselves to be capable of and deserving of self-government.
The grounding of our Declaration of Independence, Constitution and the rule of law of our nation in rights from our creator and in the Judeo-Christian ethic, is unique in history and has for almost 250 years guided us as citizens. We have come together in spite of differing opinions or methodology to preserve a Republic where First Amendment freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to peaceably assemble and freedom to petition our government for redress of grievances have been the foundation of liberty…al liberty so protected and so beneficent as to make make our country the envy of the world.
During his 2008 visit to the White House, Pope Benedict directed us, “ From the dawn of the Republic, America’s quest for freedom has been guided by the conviction that the principles governing political and social life are intimately linked to a moral order based on the dominion of God, the Creator.” Freedom is not only a gift, but also a summons to personal responsibility… The preservation of freedom calls for the cultivation of virtue, self-discipline, sacrifice for the common good and a sense of responsibility towards the less fortunate. It also demands the courage to engage in civic life and to bring one’s deepest beliefs and values to reasoned public debate.”
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/2pcdhymb https://tinyurl.com/4sa4uamt https://tinyurl.com/3h4pksh4
When the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act was proposed in Congress, the Bishops of the United States supported the original provisions and intent of the act. The act was proposed to insure that pregnant women were accommodated in the workplace as needed for their health and comfort during pregnancy and after childbirth. Included possible accommodations for pregnant workers were longer work breaks, providing a stool for support while working, more frequent opportunity for beverages and food, temporary modification of work requirements that might be overly strenuous or tiring, more frequent bathroom breaks and accommodation for physician appointments.
The USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) approved and encouraged the originally proposed legislation as being pro-woman as well as child and family friendly. However, the final text of the bill included treatment and time off for pregnancy related conditions but also for abortion. The Bishops object, as do many other pro-freedom of conscience parties, because the Act would force employers, even religious employers, to be complicit in abortion against their conscience rights.
In August, 2024, Bishop Michael F. Burbridge, chairman of the Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities said that enabling abortion would be a complete distortion of this legislation which received bi-partisan support because it did not include abortion.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/5abfv8ah https://tinyurl.com/4jtm9xr4https://tinyurl.com/32yffcj5
The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Critical to the practice of every faith is the 1st amendment freedom of speech: the freedom to pray alone or in groups, to discuss and evangelize religious beliefs, and to speak those beliefs openly at home, in school and in the vast public square of ideas and national policies. Speech has been defined by Supreme Court decisions to include more than the spoken word and to cover actions such as burning the flag and the artistic products of web designers.
For example, In the case of 303 Creative v. Elenis, the Supreme Court’s Opinion was that speech, in the form of designing a unique, creative and specific website celebrating behavior in opposition to the artist’s personal beliefs, could not be forced by the state because it violated the designer’s freedom of speech.
This right to be able to say what one believes to be true and the right not to be forced to say or confirm the opposite is basic to our political and social life in America. The USCCB has resources to help Catholics as we navigate these social pressures while holding to the truth of our faith. For information and guidance, go to the USCCB site at: www.lovemeansmore.org
Another resource, the USCCB Committee on Doctrine, explains that: “The human person, body and soul, man or woman, has a fundamental order and finality whose integrity must be respected. Because of this order and finality, neither patients nor physicians nor researchers nor any other persons have unlimited rights over the body; they must respect the order and finality inscribed in the embodied person.”
Read more at https://tinyurl.com/4cc8t8nz
Another problematic issue pointed out in the Jan. 16, 2024 Bishops’ report, “State of Religious Liberty in the United States, is the criticism of and actual proposed governmental restrictions on the working of Catholic charities in aiding immigrants.
From OSV News, Jan. 16, 2024. Kate Scanlon:
“The Church’s mission, you know, is we’re to serve, serve the poor and the needy. That’s part of our mission to the corporal works of mercy, so welcoming the stranger,” Bishop Rhoades said, an act of mercy demanded by Jesus Christ in Matthew 25 when he renders justice at the final judgment. “And we’re talking here about basic needs: sometimes food, sometimes shelter, clothing and other kinds of assistance. The Church has always done this and it’s just part of our Christian responsibilities.”
Bishop Rhoades said some have suggested that “somehow the Church is contributing to illegal immigration” through such service.
“Comprehensive immigration reform is something that the Catholic Church in the United States has been advocating for for decades,” he added. He said “our provision of humanitarian aid to human beings who are in need” is needed regardless of whether and how Congress would act.”
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/4xyrkamf www.cffor.org https://tinyurl.com/5dwccjn9
As it is, these remain: faith, hope and love, the three of them; and the greatest of them is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
Doctors Could Be Required to Perform Transgender Surgeries and Abortions Warns Bishops’ Report on the “State of Religious Liberty in the United States.”
The conscience protection of the First Amendment has largely secured the rights of doctors and nurses to follow their conscience in spite of many challenges to that freedom. However, the Bishops of the United States point out in their report, “State of Religious Liberty in the United States” that First Amendment protections will be threatened if the so-called Equality Act is passed by Congress. The Equality Act, first passed by the House in 2021 and stalled in the Senate ever since, redefines “sex”, as used in various federal civil rights laws, into the new gender ideology which conflicts with the Biblical and Catholic Catechism teachings that God created us man and woman. The Bishops warn that, among other governmental compulsions, all medical personnel could be required to recommend and perform transgender surgeries for children and to perform abortions.
usccb.org/equality-act: “The Equality Act: exempts itself from the bipartisan Religious Freedom Restoration Act, in an explicit and unprecedented departure from one of America’s founding principles, thereby infringing on religious freedom and making it more difficult for individuals to live out their faith.” [Further, the Act]
· “forces religiously operated spaces and establishments, such as church halls, to either host functions that violate their beliefs or close their doors to their communities
· requires [biological] women [and girls] to compete against [biological] men and boys in sports, and to share locker rooms and shower facilities.
· forces faith-based charities that serve all people to violate their religious beliefs [or be shut down, thereby] threatening the welfare of thousands of beneficiaries of charitable services such as shelters and foster care agencies.
· jeopardizes existing prohibitions on the use of federal taxpayer funds for abortion, likely pressuring or even mandating the performance of abortions by health care providers in violation of their consciences, and ultimately ending more human lives
· hinders quality health care, by forcing health care professionals, against their best medical judgment, to support treatments and procedures associated with “gender transition.”
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/mr25crjf https://tinyurl.com/mrxt6we6 https://tinyurl.com/yzpjamhv
The physical safety of all Americans in their chosen house of worship is a concern pointed out in the Bishops’ report on religious liberty. In the U.S. over 340 instances of arson and vandalism have damaged Catholic churches, shrines, statues and monuments since 2020.
After the Supreme Court decision overturned Roe v Wade as having no foundation in our Federal Constitution and determined that it was the right of each state to decide abortion issues, attacks on Catholic churches and pro-life centers increased significantly.
The Bishops’ report noted that increasing antisemitic and and anti-Muslim biases could result in attacks on mosques and temples. The Bishops’ report was released in Jan. 2024, after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel and before some of the most violent and extreme demonstrations against Israel and Jews across America. The encampments and the disruptions of campuses and the barring of Jewish students from attending classes validates the safety concerns present even before Oct. 7.
Other issues brought out in the report include federal agencies twisting laws to encourage abortions when the law was intended to help pregnant women, the failure of federal agencies to find and prosecute those attacking churches and the FBI’s covert investigation of Catholics who attend the Traditional Latin Mass.
Our Declaration of Independence states: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, among them are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to preserve these rights, Governments are instituted among men deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
We citizens have instituted local, state and federal governments with the authority and the corresponding responsibility to preserve and protect Americans’ rights as put forth in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The First Amendment protects religious freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of press, the right to peaceably assemble and to petition the government for redress of grievances. As Catholics and citizens, we expect our government to preserve our rights. When the government fails in its designated responsibilities, we are obliged to correct that malfeasance by our prayers , our voices and our choice of leaders.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/2aejsb4w https://tinyurl.com/4t46ntrw https://tinyurl.com/5dwccjn9
On Jan 16, 2024, our annual Religious Freedom Day, the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) published the first annual report on the “State of Religious Liberty in the United States.” The research and preparation of the report was done by the USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty, chaired by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, IN.
The report reminds us that religious freedom/the right of conscience is often called our First Freedom because of its importance as the basis for all of our liberties as stated in our Declaration of Independence. “We are endowed by our creator” with inalienable rights and our founders believed these rights “among them, life liberty and the pursuit of happiness” were not the gift of any earthly ruler but were self-evident rights from our creator. (Declaration of Independence)
Our founders did not create a Christian nation, but a nation founded on the Judeo-Christian ethic grounded in the Ten Commandments. Having experienced government dictated religion in their mother countries and by studying the long history of such mandated beliefs, our founders knew the inevitable tyranny that always followed. They knew a plurality of religions would encourage tolerance and understanding among sects and prevent persecution.
Americans of all faiths or of none are blessed to have the founding documents which clearly protect the rights to believe and practice one’s own conscience. Catholics, the Bishops assert, have a vital role in preserving religious freedom and providing for the common good.
In upcoming articles, we will discuss the five main concerns explained in the report and relate the concerns to the cultural and regulatory pressures threatening religious freedom. If we don’t understand our religious freedom and recognize the direct and indirect threats, we may inadvertently damage or lose that liberty which is the rightful inheritance of generations to come.
Richard Henry Lee, founder and signer of the Declaration of Independence explained: "It is true, we are not disposed to differ much, at present, about religion; but when we are making a constitution, it is to be hoped, for ages and millions yet unborn, why not establish the free exercise of religion, as a part of the national compact."
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/mrxchedp https://tinyurl.com/2aejsb4w https://tinyurl.com/mujk3t8d
The Ten Commandments Must be Displayed in Every Louisiana Public School per the Louisiana Legislature & Governor
The constant misrepresentation of Jefferson’s intent to protect individual conscience and religious practices from interference by the state in his phrase “Wall of Separation of Church and State” has resulted in Americans denying religious freedom to themselves and others.
The anticipated legal challenges are rolling in and are aimed at preventing the legislated display of a poster of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms in Louisiana. A poster or document at least 11 by 14 inches and listing the Ten Commandments and paid for by donations, not public funds, is legislated to be displayed in every classroom by Jan. 1, 2024.
The display of the Ten Commandments was chosen by Louisiana legislators because it is the moral foundation for their laws and therefore has great historical significance. The lawsuit against the display of the Ten Commandments alleges that it violates the first amendment‘s establishment clause and free exercise clause.
Supreme court rulings have varied in their treatment of First Amendment issues and challenges, and we can expect long and complex litigation over this Louisiana law, likely going to higher courts.
As Americans and Catholics, we can best protect and practice religious freedom if we know a few basic facts:
- The phrase “wall of separation between church and state” was written by Pres. Thomas Jefferson in a letter assuring the Danbury Baptists that the state had no power to determine the beliefs and practices of its citizens. That phrase is not in the Constitution.
- America’s public schools are not God-free zones.” Students’ rights to live their faith openly throughout their school day are protected by the Constitution and court decisions and are specifically described by the federal government in the U.S Dept. of Education’s Guidance on On Constitutionally Protected Prayer and Religious Expression in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools which is linked below.
- The phrase Freedom of Worship is often used by those wanting to confine religious faith and practice within the four walls of our churches. The phrase Freedom of Religion reflects the intention of our founders and the First Amendment that the open, public practice and evangelization of faith is the right of each citizen.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/528xbzcy https://tinyurl.com/4jj5njhd https://tinyurl.com/4znwvk26
July 17 to 21 Eucharistic Congress, Indianapolis, IN
5 Days of Inspiration, Guidance, Adoration and Spiritual Revival
“The liberty enjoyed by the people of these states of worshiping Almighty God agreeably to their conscience, is not only among the choicest of their blessings, but also of their rights.” -George Washington
Five Days of Inspiration, Guidance, Adoration and Spiritual Revival
Followed by: The culmination of the three year Eucharistic Revival - The Year of Mission
Per Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Bishop of Crookston and Chairman of the National Eucharistic Revival we are reminded of the mission of the Eucharistic Revival, “ to form Catholics to live out their Eucharistic encounters with Jesus and send them as credible witnesses to the joy of the Gospel; to encourage centers of mission (parishes, dioceses, religious communities, apostolates, etc.) to continue providing opportunities for encounter that lead to a deeper Eucharistic identity and sustain a Eucharistic life.”
The vision for this Eucharistic Revival being, “ To raise up a company of Catholics from across the country who have been healed, converted, formed, unified and sent out on Eucharistic mission for the life of the world.”
Read more and download the Year of Mission Playbook: July 2024-June, 2025
The United States’ freedom of religion, much broader than a mere freedom to worship within the four walls of our churches, protects our rights to participate fully in all the events of the Eucharistic Processions and Eucharistic Congress. It also protects our rights to continue in the Eucharistic Mission to publicly reflect our beliefs in our own lives and to evangelize openly in word and deed inviting others to enter into the fullness of a deep Eucharistic life.
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here." Patrick Henry - Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution
The Eucharistic Processions make daily progress from the four corners of our nation toward the July 17-21 Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. Catholics across America are online to follow their progress, and join in the excitement and prayers from their home parishes.
The Congress in Indianapolis is expected to attract 50,000 attendees for five days of learning, fellowship, prayer and revival.
This public statement of our Catholic faith through the practice of Eucharistic reverence exemplifies the heart of the religious freedom that our nation’s founders enshrined in the First Amendment. The procession is a public expression of beliefs and conscience, which the founders knew were essential to a moral and religious people – the only people capable of maintaining the extensive personal freedoms of their new government.
And so it comes to each American, of any faith or of none, to protect the basis for all our liberties – the belief that our inalienable rights come from our Creator, not from government.
In our own parishes we can come together to learn the facts of religious freedom, pray for God to protect that right, and act publicly to maintain the exercise of our faith. Public rosaries are effective, powerful demonstrations of our Catholic faith.
Looking Forward to July 4, 2026: In Two Years America Will Mark the 250th Anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence
Will our nation’s religious liberty be recognizable two years from now? Or will we face more violent attacks on churches and pro-life clinics, continuation of the FBI admitted surveillance of Catholics, imprisonment of peaceful pro-life demonstrators, the exclusion of religious based charities from government contracts and forced cooperation of medical personnel in transgender surgeries and abortions.
We find ourselves at a decisive time in the history of our country. The founding principles of self-evident rights from our creator and the assertion that all men are created equal are under relentless attack usually under the guise of a twisted “fairness” garnering power and wealth to the perpetrators. The religious freedom rights which protect churches from interference by the state have been broached by what our government has done to label, marginalize and to prosecute people of many faiths, especially Catholics. The right of each American to follow their conscience in their worship has been assaulted by lack of punishment for vicious verbal and physical attacks on Jewish Americans.
As Americans and Catholics each of us has the right to live our chosen faith free from government interference. Along with that God-given right comes the responsibility to preserve that right for ages and millions yet unborn.
In 1788 Founder Rev. Samuel Langdon said, "Preserve your government with the utmost attention and solicitude, for it is the remarkable gift of heaven. From year to year be careful in the choice of your representatives and all the higher powers of government. If the legislative body are corrupt, you will soon have bad men for counselors, corrupt judges, unqualified justices and officers in every department who will dishonor their stations.”
Learn about Religious Freedom and its denials: https://tinyurl.com/2hycc2fe https://tinyurl.com/4mb2srrw https://tinyurl.com/3tj2npaa https://tinyurl.com/2va6h8n7
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN A MINUTE
Thank God for Religious Freedom on This Independence Day July 4, 2024
When the final draft of the Declaration of Independence was approved on July 4, 1776, by the 56 delegates to the Second Continental Congress, the design was begun for this exceptional nation, the United States of America, which would be unlike any in the history of mankind.
These founders declared that the American colonies had the right from Nature and Nature’s God to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They stated that a separation from England was necessary and justified as evidenced by their listing of 27 abuses and usurpations of the rights of the colonists. This document was the first ever where a whole people declared themselves as the instruments, the designers, of their own government.
On behalf of the colonists they represented, these delegates asserted that governments are instituted among men deriving their just powers not from a king or emperor or dictatorial power, but from the consent of the governed.
Chief among the rights inherent to each of us, our founders held that religious freedom was the first and the foundational freedom. The right to believe as we choose, free from government dictates, along with the right to exercise or live our faith openly without persecution or prejudice was the standard which the laws of this new nation could not compromise.
Thomas Jefferson wrote: “But our rulers can have authority over such natural rights only as we have submitted to them. The rights of conscience we never submitted, we could not submit. We are answerable for them to our God.'
So that First Amendment Religious Freedom may be practiced and preserved for every generation, it is essential that Americans understand this freedom and the circumstances from which it came. From different faiths we must stand unified to support each other, recognizing and respecting doctrinal differences while upholding our common religious liberty.
Catholics for Freedom of Religion strives to educate about our Freedom of Religion…how rare it is, how dearly it was purchased for us and how quickly it can be lost. Visit www.cffor.org
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/5fu8vxv6 https://tinyurl.com/42a4a74v https://tinyurl.com/mvrratb9
Through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, the Patroness of our country, we ask that our voices be heard in this prayer for protection of religious liberty:
O God our Creator, from your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You have called us as your people and given us the right and the duty to worship you, the only true God, and your Son, Jesus Christ.
Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit, you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society.
We ask you to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty. Give us the strength of mind and heart to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened; give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.
Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters gathered in your Church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome—for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all who come after us—this great land will always be “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN A MINUTE
Religious Freedom Week in the Catholic Church is June 22-29
As Declared by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
Our bishops urge all Catholics to pray, reflect and act to strengthen and preserve America’s unique religious freedom. Our founders and generations of Americans supported and fought for each American’s right to choose their faith and to exercise that faith freely and openly.
During Religious Freedom Week the bishops ask us to pray for:
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Safety in the sacred spaces where Americans gather to worship
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Those persecuted by unjust blasphemy laws
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Courage from the Holy Spirit to witness the truth of the Gospel in the face of social and legal pressure
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The freedom to help migrants and refugees
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Christians in India who face harassment and violence
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Business leaders to provide a culture of life in their workspaces
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The grace to act with respect for the dignity of each person
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Protection of conscience rights for Catholic health care providers and hospitals
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/37ndm6tf https://tinyurl.com/2entnmwz
7,000 Catholics in St. Paul, MN walked 4.5 miles on May 27 in a joyous, prayerful Eucharistic procession. Bishops along with 150 priests, first communicants, seminarians, parish groups and families of many ethnicities, ages and number filled the wide boulevard for blocks as they moved with prayer and singing along the route. This public exercise of faith was part of the ongoing National Eucharistic Pilgrimage which includes processions large and small along four different nation-wide routes leading to Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress July 10-12.
Americans of every faith are protected by the 1st Amendment of our Bill of Rights to believe as their conscience dictates and to freely exercise that faith. In spite of the Constitutional assurance of religious freedom, in the past four years there have been 421 attacks on Catholic churches in the United States. Churches in 42 states have been damaged or destroyed by arson, had statues defiled and smashed, windows broken, and exteriors sprayed with graffiti. Sometimes there have been disruptions of ongoing Masses in Catholic churches. Only around 25% of these attacks have resulted in even one arrest.
As the four Eucharistic procession pilgrims travel to Indianapolis, we can follow their progress and pray for their safety. Also, we can renew in each parish our understanding of the meaning and importance of the Eucharist in the lives of each of us and our shared life in the Catholic Church.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/mryfkyrd https://tinyurl.com/2m7nbct4 https://tinyurl.com/bde79364
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN A MINUTE
From North, South, East and West the Eucharistic Processions Have Begun…
America’s 1st Amendment of the Bill of Rights of our Constitution affirms to all Americans of all faiths the right to believe according to their conscience and to live those beliefs openly and freely from church and home to community and country.
President Thomas Jefferson made it clear that the state had no place in determining any citizen’s conscientious beliefs nor the practice of his chosen faith. Jefferson clarified in his letter to the Danbury Baptists in 1802, that the matter of religious beliefs and practices is only between each man and his God. He asserted that 1st Amendment Freedom of Religion places a wall of separation between church and state to prevent government intrusion.
The current three-year Eucharistic Revival to inspire, educate and unite Catholics about the wonders of the True Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist was initiated by the United States Bishops on June 19, 2022, Corpus Christi Sunday. The revival includes worship inside our churches and cathedrals as well as Eucharistic processions in local communities, a Eucharistic Congress and a year of Mission. Starting on May 17, over 100,000 Catholics have begun four very public processions encompassing much of our Nation and arriving in Indianapolis in July for the first National Eucharistic Congress in 83 years.
This very open and public expression of faith in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist would be forbidden in many countries across our world where religious freedom does not exist. As we participate locally and nationally in these three years of Eucharistic Revival, let us include prayers of thanksgiving for America’s religious freedom.
It is up to each generation to guard our religious freedom for ages and millions yet unborn.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/yc3aef2e
Follow the four processions of the Marian Route (North),
the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route (East), the St. Juan Diego Route (South),
the St. Junipero Serra Route (West) Follow at: Eucharisticrevival.org
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who died in our nation's service. It is in our remembering that these American patriots live on. It is by continuing their steadfast defense of our liberties, especially Religious Freedom, that we honor their sacrifice and live up to their rightful expectations of those who live and breathe in the very freedoms for which they died.
Since the first battles to gain America’s independence, the families of 1.8 million Americans have sacrificed the joy and presence of their loved ones to the defense of America’s freedoms. On this Sunday before Memorial Day, how fitting that prayers for these fellow Americans should fill our hearts with gratitude for their sacrifice. Let us remember them in the parades and memorial services, by placing flags on their graves, and reading their epitaphs.
We can acknowledge and thank today’s surviving families for their loved ones’ service and take part in the National Moment of Remembrance with respectful silence at 3pm on Memorial Day.
John Adams, one of our Founding Fathers, said, “Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present Generation to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven, that I ever took half the Pains to preserve it.”
America’s freedom of religion is under grave and immediate threat from government regulations, denial of freedom of speech and court-determined imposition of secular values. Because America’s religious freedom is now under attack, we must assume an active defense of what Pope Benedict XVI called “the most cherished of Americans freedoms”.
In good conscience we can do no less. Our children’s freedoms are not ours to lose.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ prayer for all who died in service to our nation:
“O God, by whose mercy the faithful departed find rest, look kindly on your departed veterans who gave their lives in the service of their country. Grant that through the passion, death and resurrection of your Son they may share in the joy of your heavenly kingdom and rejoice in you with your saints forever. We ask this through Christ the Lord. Amen
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN A MINUTE
From Our Founders: America’s Heritage of Freedom of Religion and Conscience
From the earliest colonists through the adoption of America’s Constitution and later the Bill of Rights, the issue of religious freedom was paramount in the considerations of the citizens and founders of our nation.
By the time of the American Revolution, America’s leaders reflected the colonists’ belief in the importance of God, the Bible, worship and the acceptance of all faiths. Throughout the revolution prayer was a constant and vital support. History shows our founders prayed earnestly and saw frequent instances of what they believed to be divine intervention protecting our armies and leaders.
George Washington said, “No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an Independent Nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency.”
Benjamin Franklin at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 said,” In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard and they were graciously answered.”
Rev. Samuel Langdon, Founding Father, said,” Preserve your government with the utmost attention and solicitude, for it is the remarkable gift of heaven.”
Referring to our Constitution, Samuel Adams said,” The sum of all is, if we would most truly enjoy the gift of heaven, let us become a virtuous people; then we shall both deserve and enjoy it.”
Our prayers and action are essential to preserve 1st Amendment freedom of religion and conscience.
From the USCCB: Prayer for Religious Liberty
O GOD OUR CREATOR, from your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You have called us as your people and given us the right and the duty to worship you, the only true God, and your Son, Jesus Christ. Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit, you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society.
We ask you to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty. Give us the strength of mind and heart to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened; give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.
Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters gathered in your Church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome— for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all who come after us— this great land will always be “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
“[May] you defend these rights, especially your religious freedom, for it has been given to you by God himself.” -Pope Francis
Rick Hinshaw served the Catholic Church as editor of The Long Island Catholic and communications director for the Catholic League and the N.Y. State Catholic Conference. He also spent three years as spokesman for Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon. Here Rick writes about the ordeal his brother John Hinshaw and other pro-life prisoners of conscience are currently undergoing.
Why are my brother and eight other pro-life prisoners of conscience—having already spent eight months in jail—about to be sentenced, probably to ?
Because in October 2020 they engaged in peaceful, prayerful civil disobedience at a notorious late-term Washington, D.C. abortion clinic that the Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles has labeled an “infanticide factory.” And because, a year-and-a-half later, two of their group retrieved the remains of five late-term or full-term aborted babies in that clinic’s trash, and challenged authorities to investigate whether the abortionist was violating the federal ban on partial birth abortions, or the federal Born Alive Infants Protection Act.
Instead, the FBI re-arrested all nine pro-lifers from the October 2020 sit-in, upgrading local trespassing offenses to federal charges of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. This law was enacted during the Clinton era precisely to enable draconian sentencing for peaceful pro-life civil disobedience.
All nine pro-life defendants, convicted last September, face up to 11 years in prison and fines of up to $350,000 when they are sentenced May 14 and 15 for their peaceful, prayerful action.
My brother John’s participation in this pro-life rescue is consistent with a lifetime spent intervening for vulnerable people—from his professional service for those struggling with mental illness, to volunteering at pro-life pregnancy centers, to his caring interaction with homeless people on the street; and to protecting the unborn, without regard for the potentially devastating consequences to himself.
My brother and his fellow prisoners of conscience need our prayers.
They also need our presence of peaceful and prayerful witness for life and justice on May 14 and 15 at E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse, 333 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001.
Individual sentencings will begin at 9 a.m. and continue with a different defendant each hour. If you can possibly be there for any time during those two days, please consider doing so.
In any event, please pray for these brave rescuers, for their families, and for all the unborn babies they are trying to save.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN A MINUTE
“Parents should teach children to avoid the compromising and degrading influences which threaten human societies.”
-Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 2224
Sexual orientation and gender ideology have been added to the traditional definition of sex as male and female for the purposes of Title IX of the 1972 Federal Education Amendments. Title IX gave women equal opportunities to men in sports, scholarships, and programs in schools by preventing discrimination in activities and programs which receive federal funding.
The administration’s changes to Title IX, as of Aug.1, 2024, will conflict with the religious beliefs of millions of Americans whose faiths teach that God created two sexes, male and female. Teachers and students whose religious beliefs in this regard differ from this newly mandated definition will be at risk of discipline, termination and religious discrimination if they continue to live and exercise their faith as set forth in the 1st Amendment.
The new rule equates self-chosen gender identity with God-given biological sex and says that a person’s self-chosen gender identity cannot prevent their participation in any education program or activity. Attorneys studying the redefinitions foresee that the rule will not allow separate bathrooms, locker rooms, and housing for biological males and females and that women’s sports will be endangered. The rule will give legal support to those state and local governments that are already making policy and forcing adherence to these cultural influences.
Following the same ideology, New York state will vote this Nov.5 on a state Constitutional amendment to expand the equal protection clause of the New York state constitution. That clause currently protects from discrimination by race, color, creed or religion. Proposed changes would add protected categories of age, gender identity, gender expression, reproductive healthcare and autonomy.
The federal Title IX redefinitions and proposed New York state’s constitutional amendment are seen by many as cultural bombs…. imposing an ideology that denies millions of Americans important and basic religious beliefs as well as their right to live their faith and educate their children in their faith.
As summarized by an attorney familiar with these issues, “These redefinitions at the federal and state levels are the same in their intent. However, because one is a federal law and the other a state constitutional amendment, they can be weaponized in different ways by different government entities and private citizens, with different penalties and civil damages that can be levied in different regulatory and judicial forums. So, they open a multi-front war. That dangerous fact should not be underestimated.”
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/yxhj623w https://tinyurl.com/yc5durn7 https://tinyurl.com/47fuyzcb https://tinyurl.com/yuaeed3n https://tinyurl.com/3m5zv5ku