Service to poor will be focus of 2014 Fortnight for Freedom

Last updated on: April 29, 2014 at 10:01 pm by CNA Daily News

Service to poor will be focus of 2014 Fortnight for Freedom 2014-04-29T22:01:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Washington D.C., Apr 29, 2014 / 04:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The U.S. bishops have announced a third Fortnight for Freedom to encourage prayer and awareness of religious liberty, with a particular focus on how it enables service to the poor and vulnerable.

“This is a time when Catholics can unite themselves in prayer to the men and women throughout history who spread the Gospel and lived out Jesus’ call to serve the ‘least of these’ in even the direst of circumstances,” said Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty.

Archbishop Lori noted that the June 21-July 4 initiative includes the Catholic feasts of saints like John Fisher, Thomas More, John the Baptist, Peter and Paul and the first martyrs of Rome who “remained faithful in the face of persecution by political power.”

This is the third consecutive year that the Fortnight for Freedom has been conducted as a period of prayer, education and advocacy for religious liberty.

As in 2012 and 2013, this year’s event will include two nationally televised Masses.

Archbishop Lori will celebrate an opening Mass at the Baltimore Basilica on June 21 at 5:30 p.m. Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington will celebrate a closing Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., on July 4 at noon, with U.S. bishops’ conference president Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., serving as homilist.

The national activities will be supplemented by diocesan-level prayer initiatives throughout the United States. Past efforts have included special rosaries, Masses, prayer vigils and holy hours, as well as study groups, movie nights and community service events.

In the last two years, some dioceses have hosted public gatherings, ecumenical prayer rallies, talks and panel discussions on religious liberty. Others have encouraged private devotion, fasting and contributions to spiritual bouquets during the two-week period.

The U.S. bishops have prepared fact sheets to highlight current domestic and foreign religious freedom concerns.

Domestic concerns include the federal HHS mandate that requires most employers, including many Catholic organizations, to provide employees with health coverage for sterilization, contraception and drugs that can cause abortions, despite their religious and moral objections. Violators of the mandate face heavy penalties. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue an important ruling on the mandate as it affects religious individuals running for-profit businesses this June.

The bishops have also noted threats to religious organizations and businesses caused by the redefinition of marriage and laws that consider objections to “gay marriage” to be illegal discrimination. Catholic adoption agencies in Boston, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Illinois have been shut down because they cannot in good conscience place children with same-sex couples. In addition, businesses have faced lawsuits for declining to serve same-sex “wedding” ceremonies.

State immigration laws have also threatened charitable outreach and pastoral care to undocumented immigrants, while Catholic medical personnel and others who object to abortion have faced pressure to participate in the deadly procedures, the bishops’ conference explains.

Foreign religious freedom concerns include the threat to historic Christian communities in war-torn Syria and the danger to religious minorities, including Christians, in Pakistan. The bishops have also highlighted threats posed by the terrorist Islamic extremist group Boko Haram in Nigeria and by religious conflict in the southeast Asian country of Myanmar.

The U.S. bishops’ conference has prepared materials to help dioceses and parishes take part in the Fortnight for Freedom, including guides for special prayer services, a list of frequently asked questions about religious liberty, and a study guide on the Second Vatican Council’s “Dignitatis Humanae,” its declaration on religious freedom.

The Fortnight for Freedom website is www.fortnight4freedom.org.

Previous Post

April 29, 2014

JPII statue finds home in largest poor neighborhood in Chile

Next Post

April 29, 2014 Catholic Charities aids victims of powerful Ark. storm

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did Jesus say to calm the storm?

Select your answer to see how you score.

"Let there be calm." "Peace, be still!" "Cease, wind!" "Do not be afraid."