U.S. bishops' nationwide campaign, 'Fortnight for Freedom,' calls for prayer, catechesis, public action from June 21 to July 4

Dioceses nationwide will highlight religious liberty during the "Fortnight for Freedom" from June 21, the vigil of the feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More, to July 4, U.S. Independence Day. American Catholics must resist unjust laws "as a duty of citizenship and an obligation of faith," the Administrative Committee of the U.S. bishops said in a statement on religious liberty released April 12. The full text can be found at the link below.

During the "Fortnight for Freedom," dioceses across the nation and parishes, including those in the Diocese of Sacramento, will commemorate this special two-week period of prayer, study, catechesis and public action to emphasize both the Christian and American heritage of liberty. (See link at http://www.diocese-sacramento.org to access resources for the Fortnight for Freedom provided by the Diocese of Sacramento.)

Bishop Jaime Soto led some 1,000 people on a "Walk for Religious Freedom" with a eucharistic procession on the Feast of Corpus Christi, June 9, in downtown Sacramento. 

The procession included several stops for prayer for Catholic education, Catholic Charities and Catholic health care, all of which could be impacted by the mandate issued earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. If the mandate stands, the federal government will force Catholic institutions to provide insurance coverage for sterilization and contraception, including abortion-inducing drugs, even though it violates the religious beliefs of Catholics.

The U.S. bishops launched a text messaging campaign June 21 to provide a new way for people to join the national campaign for religious freedom. Catholics and supporters of religious freedom from all other faiths now cans send the text message "Freedom" to 377377 to join the movement. Texters can then receive information regularly on how to help protect religious freedom worldwide.

More information on the Web at http://www.usccb.org or http://www.diocese-sacramento.org.