Rockford IL.- The fourteen days from June 21, the vigil of the Feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas Moore, to July 4, Independence Day, are dedicated to “Fortnight for Freedom”. During these days, our liturgical calendar celebrates a series of great martyrs who remained faithful in the face of persecution by political power; St. Thomas Moore, St. John Fisher, St. John the Baptist, SS. Peter and Paul and the first martyrs of the Holy Roman Church. Culminating on Independence Day, this is a special period of prayer and public action that emphasizes both our Christian and American heritage of liberty.
From Bishop Malloy
It is no mistake that our founding fathers gave these important rights priority in our constitution. The freedom of religion is rooted in the very dignity of every human person regardless of the individual faith they choose to practice.
Until recently, our laws have respected and honored the conscience rights of religious institutions and individuals— a heritage that has helped the United States stand out among free nations around the world. Assaults to our right to exercise the faith we hold dear, and our ancestors have held for more than 2,000 years, have been direct and unrelenting over the past two years.
As Catholics, we cannot and will not compromise our core beliefs. We cannot and will not allow any government mandate to force us to participate in any activity morally or religiously objectionable.
Therefore we take this opportunity to make our voices one and to make them heard through education, action and prayer. On the diocesan website you will find the tools necessary to do all of it. Please use these resources personally and in your parish so together, we might protect our first, most cherished freedom … religious liberty. Bishop David J. Malloy
What does the Catechism say about Religious Freedom?
Part Three-Life in Christ
Section II, The Common Good
1907-First, the common good presupposes respect for the person as such. In the name of the common good, public authorities are bound to respect the fundamental and inalienable rights of the human person. Society should permit each of its members to fulfill his vocation. In particular, the common good resides in the conditions for the exercise of the natural freedoms indispensable for the development of the human vocation, such as the “right to act according to a sound norm of conscience and to safeguard … privacy, and rightful freedom also in matters of religion.”