By Lizsandra Trastoy - Florida Catholic Newspaper
Photographer: LIZSANDRA TRASTOY | FC
Cristina Sousa, left, Jena Getchell, center, and Felipe Vizcarrondo, right, show their support for the Fortnight for Freedom while standing outside Little Flower Church. They are members of the Public Square Discipleship, a ministry set up by Little Flower's pastor, Father Michael Davis, to foster prayer and action for religious freedom.
Photographer: LIZSANDRA TRASTOY | FC
Families pray during the Mass, after Father Michael Davis gave his homily on the importance of having courage and faith in defending the rights of Catholics, especially at a time when Christian values are being threatened.
Those words, spoken by Thomas Jefferson, found an echo in the homily preached by Father Michael Davis at a Mass kicking off the Fortnight for Freedom, which began June 21 and runs through July 4.
His point: If Catholics do not �rise up and protect and defend their faith, with energy and conviction,� some of those blessings � especially the freedom of religion � could disappear.
The pastor of the Coral Gables parish was referring to some of the issues that have been making headlines during the past two years:
- the mandate by the Department of Health and Human Services that all nearly all employers� health plans include access to birth control methods, including sterilization, that the Church considers morally objectionable;
- and the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage, which has already forced some Catholic agencies to stop providing adoption and foster care services.
LOCAL FORTNIGHT FOR FREEDOM EVENTS
Little Flower Church in Coral Gables, St. Gregory Church in Plantation and St. Patrick Church in Miami Beach kicked off their Fortnight for Freedom celebrations with Masses and adoration June 21 and 22. Upcoming events include:
Little Flower Church in Coral Gables, St. Gregory Church in Plantation and St. Patrick Church in Miami Beach kicked off their Fortnight for Freedom celebrations with Masses and adoration June 21 and 22. Upcoming events include:
- St. Stephen Church, 2000 S. State Road 7, Miramar: rosary for religious freedom and Litany for Liberty Monday, July 1, 7:30 p.m. Participants are asked to wear red, white and blue and bring their rosaries. For information call 954-987-1100.
- Little Flower, 2711 Indian Mound Trail, Coral Gables: candlelight vigil Wednesday, July 3, at 7:30 p.m. For information call Jena Getchell, 786-484-3367.
- St. Gregory, 200 N. University Drive, Plantation: candlelight ceremony for religious freedom, Wednesday, July 3, 8 p.m. For information call Mary Sturm, 954-851-3345.
The observance of a Fortnight of Freedom is an attempt by the U.S. bishops to educate Catholics about those issues and how they threaten the freedom of religion enshrined in the Constitution. This is the second year the Fortnight for Freedom has been observed, and Little Flower and St. Gregory Parish in Plantation have led the way in planning a series of events to observe the fortnight. (See box)
�Rare it has been in my lifetime that I have heard the entire United States Conference of Catholic Bishops call all Catholics, coast to coast, to rally and enter a time of fervent prayer, of raising our awareness of the issues that are playing out, that are adverse to the Church and its freedoms of conscience,� Father Davis said in his homily.
�Our faith is not just about singing pious hymns. Faith propels us into action,� he pointed out. Catholics must act �to protect ourselves against aggressive efforts to push religious practice to the margins of society.�
He stressed that Jesus� disciples �were willing to be jailed, to be maligned, to be misunderstood, to suffer, and even to give their lives for Christ and His truth� Where is our excitement? Where is our enthusiasm for the faith? Have we truly embraced our Lord�s expectation that we apply our faith with conviction in every aspect of our lives, even when it needs to be protected and defended in the public square?�
�So many Catholics just don't have the chance to hear this from the pulpit,� said Jenna Getchell, a Little Flower parishioner, referring to Father Davis� homily.
Getchell served as captain for the Miami religious freedom rally which Archbishop Thomas Wenski attended last year. She also belongs to Little Flower�s Public Square Discipleship ministry. The group was founded by Father Davis to promote the importance of prayer and action at a time when the Church�s freedom to act according to its convictions is being threatened.
Photographer: LIZSANDRA TRASTOY | FC
Father Michael Davis celebrates Mass at Little Flower Church to raise awareness about religious freedom and the upcoming HHS contraceptive mandate for employers who offer health benefits to their employees.
The group meets monthly for formation � a recent meeting focused on Humane Vitae � and they also hold monthly eucharistic holy hours to pray for life, marriage, religious liberty and immigration reform.
�A couple of things we have done include praying at the local abortion mill during the 40 Days for Life campaign and participating in the USCCB's postcard-signing campaign where over 400 Little Flower parishioners signed postcards to their legislators urging them to support laws promoting religious freedom,� Getchell said.
�It is a very active ministry and growing with some very dedicated and fully engaged Catholic leaders,� she added, mentioning a similar group at St. Gregory Parish. �It's edifying to be a part of this great effort to defend and support our Church.�
�I think it�s really important that all parishes follow this example,� said Felipe Vizcarrondo, also a member of Little Flower�s Public Square Discipleship ministry. �Our goal is to see a formation of parish members involved in Church doctrine.�
Father Davis�s homily touched upon the topics of contraception, same-sex marriage and abortion.
�As a Church, we simply don�t believe that these kinds of things reflect the divine intent for the well-being of people,� he said. �We also don�t believe in cheapening the dignity of women like that, and we certainly don�t believe in a reckless disregard for the miracle of life and the distinctive and unrepeatable soul implanted there at conception.�
CARDINAL DOLAN COMMENTS ON HHS MANDATE EXTENSION
On June 28, the Obama administration announced that non-profits � including the Catholic Church � will have until Jan. 1, 2014, rather than Aug. 1 of this year, to comply with the contraceptive mandate in the new health care law, often referred to as Obamacare. The administration also said the rules now exempt not just churches but Church-affiliated universities, hospitals and charitable agencies that employ and serve people of all faiths, not just Catholics.
However, private, for-profit employers who have similar moral objections to contraception and sterilization would still be required to offer those services, free of charge, to their employees.
"We have received and started to review the 110-page final rule on the HHS mandate," said Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. �We appreciate the extension of the effective date by five months, which is readily apparent in the rule. The remainder of the rule is long and complex. It will require more careful analysis. We will provide a fuller statement when that analysis is complete."
On June 28, the Obama administration announced that non-profits � including the Catholic Church � will have until Jan. 1, 2014, rather than Aug. 1 of this year, to comply with the contraceptive mandate in the new health care law, often referred to as Obamacare. The administration also said the rules now exempt not just churches but Church-affiliated universities, hospitals and charitable agencies that employ and serve people of all faiths, not just Catholics.
However, private, for-profit employers who have similar moral objections to contraception and sterilization would still be required to offer those services, free of charge, to their employees.
"We have received and started to review the 110-page final rule on the HHS mandate," said Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. �We appreciate the extension of the effective date by five months, which is readily apparent in the rule. The remainder of the rule is long and complex. It will require more careful analysis. We will provide a fuller statement when that analysis is complete."
Father Davis cited places such as Boston, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Illinois, where Catholic foster care and adoption centers have closed because they stood their ground and refused to place children with same sex couples.
�The government is now denying federal grants to Catholic organizations that historically have been critical in aiding victims of human trafficking,� he said. �They are withholding these funds from our Catholic social service agencies because we won�t refer women for abortions and contraceptive services.�
He also cited a concern expressed by Archbishop Wenski regarding the HHS contraceptive mandate. �If we don�t cooperate in implementing the government mandate, we will face exorbitant governmental fines, which will make it very expensive for the Church to do its ministries, and provide its employee benefits. It may well lead to the shutting down of Church services and the laying off of employees; possibly the closing of some Catholic social service and educational institutions.�
�In these and many other ways, the Church is being pressured to renounce its faith, go back on its moral tradition, give up its rights of conscience, and simply acquiesce to the interference of the powers of the day,� Father Davis said. �The question is: Where is our disgust with all of this? Where is our conviction and energy in opposing the infringements upon of our conscience rights and toward our guaranteed constitutional right to religious freedom?�
�I don�t mean to be vulgar, but you have to have the guts to stand up for this,� said Arturo Riera, another Little Flower parishioner who attended the kick-off Mass along with his wife Lourdes.
Photographer: LIZSANDRA TRASTOY | FC
Tables outside Little Flower Church featured pamphlets on the topics of abortion and contraception.
