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CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis will dedicate his homily on Sunday, July 1, to the subject of religious liberty. The homily will be delivered during the 11 a.m. Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

His homily is part of the "Fortnight for Freedom," a 14-day period of prayer, education and action in support of religious freedom. Organized by the U.S. bishops, the campaign will run from June 21 to July 4 and will highlight concerns over threats to religious freedom, both at home and abroad.

The 14 days from June 21 – the vigil of the feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More – to July 4, Independence Day, are designed as a great hymn of prayer for our country, the bishops said when issuing their recent statement "Our First, Most Cherished Liberty."

Parishes across the diocese have already been sent information about the Fortnight for Freedom, including bulletin inserts and prayer materials.

Join the Fortnight for Freedom campaign

Here is a list of upcoming events and resources:

(1) Jesuit Father Joseph Koterski of Fordham University will speak on "In Defense of Religious Liberty and Respect for Freedom of Conscience" at parishes June 18, 20 and 21. His Monday, June 18, talk at the Pastoral Center will be webcast at www.catholicnewsherald.com beginning at 12:45 p.m.

(2) Deacon James Toner and the Education and Formation Commision at Our Lady of Grace Church, Greensboro, will have an educational presentation and an evening of Adoration, 7 p.m. June 21. The outline of Deacon Toner's talk "Faith, Flag, and Freedom," may be found on the OLG website. The lively 50-minute talk will be followed by a question-and-answer session.

The talk briefly presents the Catholic understanding of religious liberty before and after Vatican II; explains our duties to God and to the state — and what Catholics must do when such duties conflict; explores the dangers of massive state involvement in religion; examines the duties of Catholics to serve as Christian witnesses in a neo-pagan culture; and analyzes the current threats to religious liberty at home and abroad.

Deacon Toner, from the Diocese of Colorado Springs, has served at OLG for two years. Deacon Toner is a political scientist who, before coming to OLG, taught moral philosophy to seminarians at a Catholic seminary; taught ethics to senior-ranking military officers at a war college; taught character education to cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy; and taught political science and philosophy to undergraduates at colleges in Indiana, Vermont, Alabama, Connecticut and North Carolina.

More resources

(1) Comprehensive coverage of this issue in our special online section

(2) At www.usccb.org: Prayer cards, fact sheets about the Fortnight for Religious Freedom, FAQs about the HHS mandate and much more

(3) Stand up for Religious Freedom: At www.standupforreligiousfreedom.com, national campaign to highlight opposition to the federal government's contraception coverage mandate.

— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor