The fourteen days from June 21—the vigil of the Feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More—to July 4, Independence Day, were dedicated to this “fortnight for freedom”—a great hymn of prayer for our country. Dioceses and parishes around the country scheduled special events that support a great national campaign of teaching and witness for religious liberty. 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.  Through prayer, study, catechesis, and peaceful public action during the Fortnight for Freedom, we hoped to remind ourselves and others all throughout the United States about the importance of preserving the fundamental right of religious freedom.

 

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After the Supreme Court's ruling, the contraception mandate still remains. Keep up your prayers and action for religious freedom!

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Latest News!

Fortnight Closing Mass Draws Record Crowd! (News Release)

Fortnight for Freedom Message from Pope Benedict XVI from Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, Apostolic Nuncio, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, July 4, 2012

Fortnight for Freedom Closing Mass Homily- Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap, Archbishop of Philadelphia, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, July 4, 2012

Free Exercise of Religion: Putting Beliefs into Practice- Religious leaders from many faiths in the U.S. have issued a statement on religious freedom. Catholics are not alone in the fight to defend our First Amendment rights!

Prayer for the 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.

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