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June 21st - July 4th, 2012
Fortnight For Freedom Prayer Campaign
Call to Action by the
Bishops of the United States
In their statement on religious freedom,
"Our First, Most Cherished Liberty" (also
available in
Spanish) the Catholic Bishops of
the United States issued a call for all to pray, fast, and give
public witness during a "Fortnight for Freedom":
In particular, we recommend to our brother bishops that
we focus "all the energies the Catholic community can
muster" in a special way this coming summer. As pastors of
the flock, our privileged task is to lead the Christian
faithful in prayer.
Both our civil year and liturgical year point us on
various occasions to our heritage of freedom. This year, we
propose a special "fortnight for freedom," in which bishops
in their own dioceses might arrange special events to
highlight the importance of defending our first freedom. Our
Catholic institutions also could be encouraged to do the
same, especially in cooperation with other Christians, Jews,
people of other faiths, and indeed, all who wish to defend
our most cherished freedom.
We suggest that the fourteen days from June 21—the vigil
of the Feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More—to July
4, Independence Day, be 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 would emphasize both our Christian and American
heritage of liberty. Dioceses and parishes around the
country could choose a date in that period for special
events that would constitute a great national campaign of
teaching and witness for religious liberty.
In addition to this summer's observance, we also urge
that the Solemnity of Christ the King—a feast born out of
resistance to totalitarian incursions against religious
liberty—be a day specifically employed by bishops and
priests to preach about religious liberty, both here and
abroad.
To all our fellow Catholics, we urge an intensification
of your prayers and fasting for a new birth of freedom in
our beloved country. We invite you to join us in an urgent
prayer for religious liberty.
Almighty God, Father of all nations,
For freedom you have set us free in Christ Jesus (Gal
5:1).
We praise and bless you for the gift of religious
liberty,
the foundation of human rights, justice, and the common
good.
Grant to our leaders the wisdom to protect and promote
our liberties;
By your grace may we have the courage to defend them,
for ourselves and for all those who live in this blessed
land.
We ask this through the intercession of Mary Immaculate,
our patroness,
and in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in
the unity of the Holy Spirit,
with whom you live and reign, one God, for ever and
ever. Amen.
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Suggested Activities for the Fortnight for Freedom
There are many activities that can be conducted during the
Fortnight for Freedom.
Here are the activities being urged by Cardinal Dolan for all
the parishes in the Archdiocese:
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A Holy Hour
for Religious Freedom during the Fortnight. The
worship booklet is available in both English and Spanish,
formatted for different kinds of printers:
-
English,
2-up
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English,
1-up
-
Español,
2-up
-
Español,
1-up
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Fliers posted in the parish advertising the Fortnight.
To download the full-color flyer seen above, click
here. For a copy of the Spanish flyer, click
here.
-
A prayer for religious liberty recited after all the
weekday and weekend Masses during the Fortnight. To
download a sheet of prayer cards that can be distributed at
church, click
here.
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Parish bells ringing at noon on July 4th
Here is a
comprehensive strategic plan that parishes may wish to use
and adapt.
Additional resources for the Fortnight Campaign are being
made available on the website of the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:
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Resources to Defend Religious Liberty
Resources to defend religious liberty are being
added regularly. Check back for more information.
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