It came five months after a mandate issued by the federal Health and Human Services Department that Catholic institutions provide or pay for health care drugs and procedures that violate Church teaching.
“The mandate has led us to look more intently at our long-held right to religious freedom and to express our concerns publicly,” Bishop Gerald Barnes said in a message to parishes announcing the Fortnight For Freedom. “It is important that the lay faithful continue to be aware of this issue and to hold it in prayer.”
Many parishes and parishioners responded.
“I think the call by the bishops was very appropriate,” Chris Floersch, a parishioner at St. Paul the Apostle in Chino Hills said. “We need to be vigilant and stand firm.”
Ending on Independence Day, the fortnight provided a special period of prayer, study, catechesis, and public action emphasizing both the Christian and American heritage of liberty.
Bishop Barnes initiated exposing the Blessed Sacrament for adoration after the morning Masses at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral in San Bernardino and invited other parishes to do the same.
Parishioners at St. Paul the Apostle participated in a Patriotic Rosary on June 21. The Patriotic Rosary included prayer intentions for each state, and elected officials in the country and was accompanied by traditional patriotic hymns.
“There is nothing more powerful than heartfelt prayer,” Irene Long, parishioner at St. Paul the Apostle in Chino Hills said. “Praying together releases the spirit to make change happen. We need our values protected.”
St. Paul held a study event on June 29 that focused on religious freedom and how important it is to the Catholic faith. The night included a study of themes from the movie For Greater Glory, the Cristeros movement and ended with the screening of the movie A Man for all Seasons on the life of St. Thomas Moore.
“It’s an important issue that impacts the entire nation,” said Patricia DiJulio, a parishioner at St. Paul the Apostle. “We need to hear more from the people; we need to get more involved.”
Parishes like St. Anthony in Upland and St. Joseph in Big Bear Lake included special petitions during the prayer of the faithful at Mass and included bulletin inserts with information on religious freedom.
San Secondo d’Asti Parish in Guasti held a 14-day Novena beginning on June 21 with a Rosary and Benediction for the purpose of dedicating the country’s religious freedom to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Parishioners also took part in a Patriotic Rosary on July 3 and gathered for a reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 4.