CALL TO PRAYER FOR LIFE, MARRIAGE AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

The Fortnight for Freedom, which we celebrated for the first time last year, takes place from June 21—the vigil of the Feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More—to July 4, Independence Day.  Last year, we saw a great diversity of events promoting religious freedom across the country.  In 2013, we face many challenges to religious liberty, including the August 1, 2013 deadline for religious organizations to comply with the HHS mandate; potential Supreme Court rulings that could redefine marriage in June, causing serious religious liberty issues for Catholic adoption agencies and many others; and religious liberty concerns in other areas, such as immigration and humanitarian services.  


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 the Baptist, SS. Peter and Paul, the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome, St. John Fisher, and St. Thomas More.Through prayer, study, and peaceful public action during the Fortnight for Freedom, we hope to remind ourselves and others all throughout the United States about the importance of preserving the fundamental right of religious freedom.

 Fortnight for Freedom Special Masses

Opening Mass
June 21, 7:00 p.m., Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore, Maryland.
Celebrant: Most Reverend William E. Lori,  Archbishop of Baltimore

Closing Mass
July 4,12:00 p.m., Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC
Celebrant: Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archdiocese of Washington

Use this link for more information on this Fortnight of Prayer


Use this link to participate in the call to prayer


General Mission Goals of the USCCB

The Gospel of Christ and the teachings of his Church guide the work of the USCCB. The work of the Conference is rooted in three general mission goals and organized into three key areas of responsibility.

• To act collaboratively and consistently on vital issues confronting the Church and society
• To foster communion with the Church in other nations, within the Church universal, under the leadership of its supreme pastor, the Roman Pontiff
• To offer appropriate assistance to each bishop in fulfilling his particular ministry in the local Church