Catholic Action: Fortnight (14 Days) of Prayer for Freedom Begins in United States

By Deacon Keith Fournier
6/23/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Make no mistake, the threat to Religious Freedom and the mission of the Church in the United States is real and substantial

The Catholic Bishops of the United States called for a fourteen day period of prayer, study, teaching and public action to defend the first freedom, religious freedom. The move is unparalleled in US history. I believe the leadership of Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Archbishop William Lori, and all of the Bishops, will not only bring about the desired result but signals the beginning of a New Catholic Action in the United States.We urge all of our readers in the United States and around the world to enter into the Fortnight for Freedom with all of your heart, mind, strength and soul.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (Catholic Online) - The Catholic Bishops of the United States called for a fourteen day period of prayer, study, teaching and public action to defend the first freedom, religious freedom. The move is unparalleled in US history. I believe the leadership of Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Archbishop William Lori, and all of the Bishops, will not only bring about the desired result but signals the beginning of a New Catholic Action in the United States.

In the Bishops words from their website dedicated to the Fortnight. "The fourteen days from June 21-the vigil of the Feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More-to July 4, Independence Day, are dedicated to this "fortnight for freedom"-a great hymn of prayer for our country."

"Our liturgical calendar celebrates a series of great martyrs who remained faithful in the face of persecution by political power-St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More, St. John the Baptist, SS. Peter and Paul, and the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome."

"Culminating on Independence Day, this special period of prayer, study, catechesis, and public action emphasize both our Christian and American heritage of liberty. Dioceses and parishes around the country have scheduled special events that support a great national campaign of teaching and witness for religious liberty."

I have been involved at the intersection of faith and culture as a lawyer and an activist for the causes at the heart of the social mission of the Church, life, family, freedom and solidarity, for a long time. I have NEVER seen a concerted campaign of prayer, teaching and Catholic Action led by the US Bishops like this one.

I have also never seen such a response from the faithful, other Christians, other people of faith and other people of good will. It not only gives me great hope for the Church it makes me proud to be a Catholic. It is also a model for a New Catholic Action which could be applied across the spectrum of the effort to knead the true Social teaching of the Church into human culture. The Social teaching of the Church is not meant simply for Catholics, other Christians, or other religious people. It offers insights and principles for action which can help to build a truly just, human and free society for all men and women.

In the past, when one spoke of the "Social Teaching" of the catholic Church, it was found in the Natural Law and expounded upon in the Sacred Scriptures, the Christian tradition, the documents of the Second Vatican Council, contemporary encyclical letters, apostolic letters and exhortations as well as summarized in the Catholic Catechism. In 2004 the "Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace" released the "Compendium of the Social Doctrine of Church" which puts it all in one place.

The Compendium is a necessity for any Catholic who wants to inform their political, cultural, economic and social participation properly. It is beautifully written, arranged in a very readable format, well indexed and thoroughly footnoted to the Scriptures, council documents, early Christian sources and magisterial teaching. It should be in every Catholic home. It should become the source book for any Catholic concerned about effective participation in the culture, the economic order and the political arena. The Compendium is the Manual for informing a New Catholic Action.

Due to some poor teaching in the arena of moral theology - of which the Social teaching is a branch - too many of the lay faithful have been confused on subjects of profound importance to living as Christians and acting as faithful citizens in the political, cultural and social spheres. It also led to people speaking as though "conscience" somehow equated with our "feelings" or was an aspect of our own personal opinion.

Not only do our consciences need to be formed and informed, they can also become deformed and regularly need to be re-formed. That is all too evident when we ...

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1 - 10 of 22 Comments

Val
10 months ago
I have been trying to find a video of Archbishop Lori's magnificent sermon opening the Fortnight for Freedom; I would like to link to it on social media, and also send it to Catholic family and friends who may not be aware of how critically important this issue is.

EWTN posted a video of the entire Mass on their YouTube channel, but I am looking for a video of just Archbishop Lori's sermon. I found one video on YouTube, but unfortunately the audio is poor. Does anyone know of others?
miguel
10 months ago
It is a shame that after having the vatican II documents in our hand; today, we are trying to fight for religious freedom or expression.
gclaheh11
10 months ago
I am not sure if I totally understand this, but I will be one of those Catholics who will be praying the fortnight. I am not sure what exactly I am supposed to pray for. President Obama to not get reelected? I know that liberalism is dying, but their leaders are still in power; I think that they are making their last hurrah and then will never be reelected. Look at Europe-those liberals who voted for all of those social programs and couldn't pay for them are now gone. The same thing will happen to the USA, it is only a matter of time.
Theresa H
10 months ago
I hope this is not "too little, too late...." Over-reaching government mandates in matters of morality have been going on for years, at least all the way back to Roe v. Wade and a secularized, hedonistic culture has "lulled" Catholics to sleep along with the masses for years....The fact that we have "lived with" a federal law that says it is okay to contracept a child in the womb with pills legally sold and bought, and throw an unwanted, newborn "mistake" in the garbage sums it all up! While our Popes have spoken up frequently, only here and there, now and then, does the Teaching get to the local parishes--even when the USCCB issues a document! As for the Catechism of the Catholic Church, if what I see around here is the unspoken norm, I would wager that, in most parishes, little to nothing is said from the pulpit on the magisterial Teaching re. matters of faith and morals--and comparatively few Catholics are interested, anyway. We are way to busy, caught-up in the activities of this world. And besides, don't you know: "ignorance is bliss!" How many Catholics do you think are now praying the "Fortnight for the Protection of Religious Liberty Prayer" daily? I hope I am mistaken and God will have mercy on us all and deliver us from this newest government mandate.
Bill Sr.
10 months ago
Thank you Alexius Comnenus! The bishops simply can not and will not hint as to WHO to vote for because the loony liberals wanting to compassionately take the place of God in out lives and have us place our faith in them would joyfully pounce on it as a breach of separation and all h… would break out. But you as a local priest or pastor are considered insignificant enough to be ignored. Lots of us are with you. The poor Catholic souls who listened to the likes of Doug Kmiec in 2008 or were shamed into believing they were racists if they voted for McCain should be in mourning and hopefully have ask for forgiveness. Keep standing for Christ and voicing the truth. Peace and God Bless.
John P. O'Neill
10 months ago
This video is important to see. Cardinal George's comment is chilling.
ManOfGod
10 months ago
Excellent article and very clear explaining our role as catholics, but if you think this is just partisan politics, you are missing the fundamental issue here. Mexico, 1924, the catholic uprising that took place when the mexican government started with "mandates" that evolved into a total persecution of the Catholic Church and NOT against a political party. True catholics regardless of political affiliation will not stand silent, we will stand by our Church and our Bishops. If you want to believe it's all politics step aside and let the true and faithful catholics defend our freedom. VIVA CRISTO REY !
Jeannie
10 months ago
The fact that anyone can still see this as having anything to do with politics shows why the very young get it and why those over their late 20s all too often do not.
Until 60 years ago, when the state and government intruded into our public education, making a national board of education, it was understood that though no faith would be imposed it would be respected. THere is a false argument that organized religion is NOT atheism or environmentalism or secularism. It is and what is more it is imposed AND, unlike Christianity, which has never imposed itself on people, these religions do not offer voice to others but want to silence it to just the homes. Environmentalism, atheism and secularism are hugely offensive and impose on our rights all the time, but having been taught in secular education, all those indoctrinated see Christianity through the same filter of intolerance as those of the secular educational system that taught them. There is nothing partisan about freedom and anyone who has not been taught about the fundamental connection between this nation and Christianity, not imposed but chosen by incredibly passionate and learned people at our nation's start, need this fortnight for freedom more than ever.
Mike
10 months ago
Edju, should we never stand up for our core beliefs and freedoms just because some people in politics want to take them away? The Church doesn't teach that we, as catholics, can't be involved in the political arena, especially when it threatens our very rights and feedoms. Should we just be pushovers to those that want us to violate our conscience? I don't think so. The Church aren't the ones forcing their beliefs on others; we are the ones who are being forced to go against our beliefs. How is that a right wing agenda? That is an agenda to protect our beliefs and freedoms.

Many of these bishops probably aren't even very conservative, let alone "right wing" citizens.

Its a good thing that more and more Catholics are starting to understand this isn't about a political agenda, but about the first right this country ever saw - the right to freedom of religion.
Roxas
10 months ago
This is not some kind of sneaky political move, this is about protecting one of the country's greatest foundations, freedom of religion. I find it quite odd that everyone is complaining about the bishops doing this so close to an election, yet no one comments on how Obama buttered up to the homosexual demographic just a month ago!

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