US bishops announce prayer campaign for religious liberty, life, and marriage; encourage fast, abstinence on all Fridays
December 07, 2012
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has announced a campaign of prayer and fasting for the “rebuilding of a culture favorable to life and marriage and for increased protections of religious liberty.”
The campaign, which will begin the Sunday after Christmas, “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 USCCB 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.”
The campaign has five components:
- cathedrals and parishes are encouraged to hold a Eucharistic holy hour for life, marriage, and religious liberty on or near the last Sunday of every month
- individuals and families are encouraged to pray the Rosary daily, “especially for the preservation of life, marriage, and religious liberty in the nation”
- priests are encouraged to include prayers for life, marriage, and religious liberty among the intentions during the Prayer of the Faithful at Mass
- “recognizing the importance of spiritual and bodily sacrifice in the life of the Church,” the bishops encourage fasting and abstinence from meat on all Fridays
- “in light of the August 1, 2013 deadline for religious organizations to comply with the HHS mandate,” a second Fortnight for Freedom will be held in July
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Posted by: unum -
Dec. 08, 2012 6:36 AM ET USA
Some leadership from our bishops is needed and welcome. But leadership takes more than approving articles for publication in their diocesan newspapers. The bishops need to be seen in the parishes, leading holy hours and speaking out. But, most needed is a response by pastors who are responding to the call of the bishops. The response of most pastors to "Fortnight for Freedom" was business as usual, and that does not signal real change!
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Posted by: Minnesota Mary -
Dec. 07, 2012 9:21 PM ET USA
Prayers and sacrifices are all well and good, but if you sabotage your prayers and sacrifices by voting for politicians who favor abortion rights, homosexual marriage, and assaults on religious freedom, those prayers and sacrifices really won't be effective.
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Posted by: -
Dec. 07, 2012 9:03 PM ET USA
Hey bishops, prayer is great. But so is action. How about your implementing Canon 915 with respect to the many pro-abortion "Catholic" politicians ?? Are y'all hiding under the desk on that one?? How about doing something vis-a-vis the National "Catholic" Reporter and its use of the word "Catholic"??
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Posted by: TheJournalist64 -
Dec. 07, 2012 7:23 PM ET USA
Good for them. A bit late. I thought we were supposed to already be doing penance during Fridays. I've added Wednesdays because of the dire state our Church in America is in.
