Religious Liberty

fortnight-for-freedom-logo-color-english-no-yearResources are available here to help you understand the range of challenges facing our religious liberty. Please join in the prayer to protect our religious liberty.

 

Page Resources

Prayer for 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.

Copyright © 2012, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved.

 


Resources for Parishes from the USCCB

  1. Fortnight Logo
  2. Daily Reflections
  3. Litany for Liberty
  4. Prayers of the Faithful
  5. Videos

 


Bishop Swain Documents

June 2016 Bishop’s Bulletin Article

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which includes me, ask us to raise up once again in prayerful concern the serious threats to religious liberty during a Fortnight for Freedom. The theme this year is “Witnesses to Freedom.” It begins on June 21 and concludes on the Fourth of July. We will do so at a Holy Hour on June 28 in the Cathedral at 7 p.m.

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Domestic Threats to Religious Liberty Fact Sheets

[icon name=”file-pdf-o” class=”” unprefixed_class=””]Current Threats to Religious Liberty

Pope Benedict XVI spoke in 2012 about his worry that religious liberty in the United States is being weakened. He called religious liberty the “most cherished of American freedoms.” Unfortunately, our most cherished freedom is under threat.

 

[icon name=”file-pdf-o” class=”” unprefixed_class=””]The Right to Practice Faith in Daily Life

The Green family began what became Hobby Lobby Stores, a retail chain of arts and crafts stores, out of a garage in the family’s home in Oklahoma. The Hahn family likewise began Conestoga Wood Specialties, a cabinet-making business, out of a garage in the family’s home in Pennsylvania.

 

[icon name=”file-pdf-o” class=”” unprefixed_class=””]Why We Need a Health Care Conscience Rights Act

The right of religious liberty, the First Freedom guaranteed by our Constitution, includes a right to provide and receive health care without being required to violate our most fundamental beliefs. Especially since 1973, when abortion became legal nationwide, federal lawmakers have worked in a bipartisan way to ensure that Americans can fully participate in our health care system without being forced to take part in abortion or other procedures that violate their conscience.

More resources and information is available through the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Site – usccb.org