With the serious threats to Religious Freedom that we see in our country today, the bishops of the United States, including our Bishop Farrell, have declared June 21 through July 4 to be a Fortnight for Freedom. These two weeks are weeks that we are asked to spend in prayer and in learning more about Religious Freedom. Below is information about events at St. John Nepomucene which will help us to take part in this Fortnight for Freedom. Also below are links to information from Bishop Farrell and from the United States bishops as a group. Please join us for the events here and spend some time informing yourself about this very important issue.
Events at St. John Nepomucene:
Weekend of June 30-July 1: We will have 30 minutes of prayer after each of the weekend Masses so that we may pray as a parish for Religious Freedom in our country.
Monday, July 2: There will be a talk given in the Cafeteria beginning at 7:15 PM. The title of the talk is “God and Government: Our Current Situation and the Examples of the Saints.” Come and learn more about this important topic and how the saints of the past have handled similar situations.
Links to information on Religious Freedom from the Diocese of Dallas (Click on the topics below to go to a website on that topic):
Diocese webpage on the Fortnight for Freedom and Religious Liberty
“Fortnight for Freedom – June 21”
“When the Law Makes Following Scripture a Crime”
“Christians Struggle to Survive in Iraq”
“Ignorance and Hatred are Very Close Friends”
“Catholics have Fought for Their Religious Freedom”
“Diocese of Dallas Files Federal Lawsuit against HHS Mandate”
“More Good Information on HHS Lawsuit”
Links to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops resources on Religious Freedom (Click on the topics below to go to that section of their website):
Statements and Documents from the United States Bishops
Statements and Resources on Conscience Protection from the United States Bishops
Information on the Fortnight for Freedom from the United States Bishops
Educational Resources from the United States Bishops on the Fortnight for Freedom
Daily Reflections from the United States Bishops
Prayer Resources from the United States Bishops
Links to Comments on the Current Situation from Catholic Bishops in the United States:
Archbishop Chaput of Philadelphia comments in First Things
Archbishop Gomez of Los Angeles comments in First Things
Links to Movies and Books about Threats to Religious Freedom in History:
MP3: “Attack on Religious Freedom” by Patrick Madrid. Also available as a CD. Click here to buy now!
DVD: A Man for All Seasons. The wonderful movie about St. Thomas More. Click here to buy now!
Book: For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada. The story of resistance to religious persecution of Catholics in Mexico that is now a movie. Click here to buy now!