"Call to Prayer” for Religious Freedom Continues
This Call to Prayer began on Holy Family Sunday – Dec. 30, 2012 - and continues until the last day of the liturgical year - Christ the King Sunday, November 24, 2013. Here in the Diocese of Lake Charles, Bishop Glen John Provost urged pastors at the beginning the year to hold a Eucharistic Holy Hours for Life, Marriage, and Religious Liberty in our nation and encouraged individuals and, particularly, families to pray a daily Rosary for the preservation of Life, Marriage, and Religious Liberty. He also encouraged pastors, at all Masses, to include in Prayers of the Faithful specific intentions for respect for all human life, the strengthening of marriage and family life and the preservation of religious liberty in our government.
Bishop Provost also urged fasting and the abstinence from meat on Fridays for the intention of the protection of Life, Marriage, and Religious Liberty.
The second annual Fortnight for Freedom, proposed by the U.S. bishops, begins Friday, June 21, and continues through Friday, July 5. A Rally for Religious Freedom is scheduled for Saturday, June 22, at the Heritage Square Pavilion in Sulphur from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bishop Provost will highlight a lengthy list of speakers at this event.
The Bishop will also be the celebrant of the 5 p.m. Mass on Saturday at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church in Sulphur.
The overall focus of the bishops’ pastoral strategy is to invite Catholics to pray for rebuilding a culture favorable to life and marriage and for increased protections of religious liberty.
The call to prayer is prompted by the rapid social movements and policy changes currently underway, such as the mandate by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that coerces employers, including heads of religious agencies, to pay for sterilizations, abortion-inducing drugs and contraceptives, as well as increased efforts to redefine marriage.
The Fortnight also emphasizes the need for conscience protection in light of the August 1 deadline for religious organizations to comply with the HHS mandate, as well as religious freedom concerns in other areas, such as immigration, adoption, and humanitarian services.
"It is essentially a call and encouragement to prayer and sacrifice—it's meant to be simple," said Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, chairman of the bishops' Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage. "It's not meant to be another program but rather part of a movement for Life, Marriage, and Religious Liberty, which engages the New Evangelization and can be incorporated into the Year of Faith. Life, Marriage, and Religious Liberty are not only foundational to Catholic social teaching but also fundamental to the good of society," he said.
