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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:

- 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. Read more.

His Monday, June 18, talk at the Pastoral Center will be webcast at www.catholicnewsherald.com beginning at 12:45 p.m.

- Deacon Jim Toner and the Education and Formation Commision at Our Lady of Grace Church, Greensboro, will have 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 fifty-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 Jim 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 Air Force Academy; and taught political science and philosophy to undergraduates at colleges in Indiana, Vermont, Alabama, Connecticut, and North Carolina.

He holds a Ph.D. from Notre Dame and a Master's degree from William & Mary. He has published five books and has been an invited speaker at many colleges in the U.S., Austria, and Germany. His columns regularly appear in the Catholic News Herald of the Diocese of Charlotte.

More resources

www.usccb.org: Prayer cards, fact sheets, FAQs and much more

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