Fortnight For Freedom Planned For June 21 To July 4

WASHINGTON—Thesecond annual Fortnight for Freedom will take place from June 21 to July 4, andwill consist of national and local efforts to educate Americans on challengesto religious liberty both at home and abroad. As with last year's Fortnight,the event will begin and end with a special Mass.

ArchbishopWilliam E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee forReligious Liberty, will open the 2013 Fortnight for Freedom by celebrating Massat Baltimore's historic Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption ofthe Blessed Virgin Mary, scheduled for June 21 at 7 p.m. EDT. Cardinal DonaldWuerl of Washington will celebrate the closing Mass at the Basilica of theNational Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington on July 4 at 12 p.m.EDT.

"The needfor prayer, education, and action in defense of religious liberty has neverbeen greater," explained Archbishop Lori. "The Fortnight for Freedom exists tomeet that need. This year's Fortnight occurs just weeks before August 1, when theadministration's mandate coercing us to violate our deeply-held beliefs will beenforced against most religious non-profits. During the Fortnight the SupremeCourt's decisions on the definition of marriage will likely be handed down aswell. Those decisions could have a profound impact on religious freedom forgenerations to come."

Furtherdetails about the Fortnight can be found at www.Fortnight4Freedom.org. The site hosts resources such as one-page fact sheetsoutlining current threats to religious freedom both in the United States and abroad;frequently asked questions about religious liberty, including quotes from theFounding Fathers, the Second Vatican Council and Popes John Paul II andBenedict XVI; and a study guide on DignitatisHumanae, Vatican II's document on religious liberty. The website also listssample activities already planned in several dioceses, an image gallery ofphotos from last year's Fortnight celebrations, as well as resources andrecommendations for other local efforts, such as prayers for use in special liturgies.

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Keywords: Archbishop William Lori,Cardinal Donald Wuerl, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Fortnightfor Freedom, religious liberty, religious freedom, Founding Fathers, SecondVatican Council, Vatican II, Dignitatis Humanae, Baltimore, Basilica of theNational Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Washington,Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Fortnight4Freedom

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