Forthnight for Freedom 2015 preparations

In preparation for the Fortnight for Freedom: Freedom to Bear Witness, which will take place from June 21 to July 4, 2015, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ staff has once again prepared materials that you may use to celebrate the Fortnight. This year’s theme emphasizes the link between religious freedom and bearing witness to the truth of the Gospel, keeping in mind the sacrifice of so many martyrs for the faith, both past and present.

During the Fortnight, 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. In the secular calendar, we anticipate that the U.S. Supreme Court will rule at some point during the Fortnight (likely around June 29) on four cases concerning the legal definition of marriage in the United States.

          

FORTNIGHT FOR FREEDOM RESOURCES

The materials below are publicly available (in English and Spanish) through the website www.Fortnight4Freedom.org, so please feel free to distribute widely or provide website links:

1. 14-Day Study Guide on Dignitatis Humanae (note that this is the 50th anniversary of the “Declaration on Religious Freedom” from the Second Vatican Council)

2. Parish Guide to celebrating the Fortnight (including 14 suggestions)

3. A series of examples of Current Threats to Religious Liberty in the U.S.

4. A series of examples of International Religious Freedom issues

5. Why the Religious Freedom Restoration Act Works

6. Frequently Asked Questions about Religious Liberty

7. Religious Liberty High School Lesson Plans (included as part of the 2015Catechetical Sunday materials)

8. Litany for Liberty

9. Prayers of the Faithful (part of the Call to Prayer for Life, Marriage & Religious Liberty)

10. Holy Hour Template (also part of the Call to Prayer)

Social media can also be an effective tool during the Fortnight; I would encourage you to use all  communications tools that you have access to in order to effectively spread the message in support of religious freedom.

Bishop Malone's Letter - Call to Prayer

 

May 17, 2013

My Dear Friends in Christ,

In December, when the bishops announced the Call to Prayer for Life, Marriage, and Religious Liberty, they also announced a second Fortnight for Freedom.  As last year, the Fortnight will take place from June 21 (the vigil of the feasts of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher) to July 4 (Independence Day).

There are three reasons why this year’s Fortnight is so important:

·         First, the Supreme Court’s rulings on marriage redefinition, which could have grave implications for religious freedom, will almost certainly be issued during the Fortnight.

·         Second, by the time of the Fortnight, the effective date of the HHS mandate-August 1, 2013 will be scarcely a month away, and the Administration’s decision on the shape of a final rule will likely be imminent.   We are still far from receiving the relief we need through the regulatory process.  So it will be very important to keep the public pressure on.

·         Third, the success of a second Fortnight is essential to perpetuating a new movement for life, marriage and religious liberty, highlighting the full range of ongoing religious freedom issues, here and abroad, and in so many other areas of law, such as immigration, adoption, and disaster relief.  Similarly, it is important to show that it is not tied to any election year, but to the broader principle of religious freedom. 

During the fortnight, I ask you to call on your parishioners and other constituents to join me in prayer for religious freedom.  As we all know, prayer can be very powerful and every day during the fourteen day fortnight, I am asking that in every parish, during every Mass, a special Prayer of the Faithful be said.  You are also encouraged to sponsor adoration, special devotions and catechetical sessions as part of this national religious liberty campaign.

Attached you will find suggested prayers that you may wish to use during the fortnight.  Additional resources are available on the HHS Mandate page of the diocesan website (www.buffalodiocese.org) and USCCB Fortnight resources are available at www.Fortnight4Freedom.org.

I will begin the Fortnight of Prayer on Saturday, June 22 at 8:00 a.m. Mass at St. Rose of Lima Church, corner of Parkside and Parker Avenues, Buffalo, where I will be celebrating the Rosary Novena for Life Mass and then later that same day at 4:30 p.m. Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral.  Both of these Masses are open for anyone in the Diocese who would like to come and pray with me for the intentions of the Fortnight.

The Fortnight of Prayer will conclude on Wednesday, July 3 at 3:00 pm with a Holy Hour and Benediction at the Dominican Monastery.  Bishop Grosz will preside at this celebration.

Catholics in the United States have long advocated for religious liberty, and it is our solemn duty to continue those efforts today.  Please join me and our fellow Catholics as we pray for a new birth of freedom in this great land!

Be assured of my grateful prayers and best wishes,

 

Yours sincerely in Christ,

Most Reverend Richard J. Malone

Bishop of Buffalo

Annulments

Do you know someone who is divorced and in need of an annulment?
This weekend on Friday and Saturday there is an Annulment Writing Workshop to help people get started on their annulment papers. The workshop will be held Friday, February 4 from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm and Saturday, February 5 from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm in the UB Newman Center, 495 Skinnersville Road (the traffic light just past Sweet Home High School) in Amherst. There is a $20 registration fee includes snacks, breakfast, lunch & a book. To register, call Barbara Wyse at 633-7786.

This is a great opportunity for someone who is divorced to begin the annulment process. The session Friday is an introduction and Saturday is a work session. People can attend on Saturday even if they can not attend on Friday.

Please help us spread the word.