Crowd prays for preservation of religious freedom
Over 300 people, many holding signs or waving American flags, gathered for the diocesan Fortnight for Freedom Prayer Rally at noon July 3 at the foot of the Lincoln statue on the east lawn of the Illinois State Capitol Building.
The Fortnight for Freedom, sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, was the two-week period dedicated to the preservation of religious freedom through prayer, education and public action. The Fortnight began July 21, the eve of the feast day of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, both of whom sacrificed their lives in opposition to unjust laws, and ended on Independence Day, July 4.
In the Springfield diocese, the Fortnight began with a Mass June 22 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield. The July 3 prayer rally was the culmination of the diocesan Fortnight activities.
The rally began with the singing of America the Beautiful, led by children and adults from the choirs of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Springfield, under the direction of Jodie Kienzler.
Carlos Tejeda, director of the diocesan Office for Marriage and Family Life, read a quote from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail, describing the difference between just and unjust laws.
"'One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws,'" Tejeda quoted. "'Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that 'an unjust law is no law at all.' A just law is a manmade code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.'"
After another patriotic song, Msgr. Carl Kemme, vicar general and moderator of the curia, read the Scripture passage from the Gospel of St. John: "Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"
Bishop Thomas John Paprocki spoke about the "many current challenges to religious freedom," including the mandate of the Department of Health and Human Services that would "force certain categories of employers, including many church institutions, to provide or facilitate health insurance for contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs."
Drawing a round of applause from the crowd, Bishop Paprocki said, "People of faith are called to reject the wrongful redefinition of marriage and bear witness to the truth of holy Matrimony as a lasting, loving and life-giving union between one man and one woman."
The bishop concluded his remarks by saying, "May this Fortnight for Freedom bear fruit as a time of intense and focused prayer, asking the Lord for protection of conscience and religious liberty. As we bring our prayers to him, we desire the same gift of which the Prophet Zechariah spoke: that the Lord might pour upon our country 'a spirit of grace and petition' to help assure the preservation of our freedoms for generations to come."
Sister Jane Boos, SSND, director of the diocesan Office for Social Concerns, led the intercessory prayers, and the crowd then recited a prayer for religious liberty.
The rally closed with a final blessing from Bishop Paprocki and singing of God Bless America.