Brochure of the Month

Brochure of the Month:  November 2022

How to Talk about Religious Freedom  and
Current Threats to Religious Freedom

  “Freedom remains one of America’s most precious possessions. …all of us are called to be vigilant, precisely as good citizens, to preserve and defend that freedom from anything that would threaten or compromise it.”
                                 Pope Francis

Freedom of religion means that the government cannot coerce people into acting against their conscience.  Opponents of religious freedom may believe that they are protecting the right of all people to be treated with dignity, which is in fact fundamental to the Catholic faith.  But when our faith calls us to serve others, we cannot violate our moral beliefs as we do so.  Religious beliefs must be allowed to differ from the prevailing values of society.  Catholic Charities have served families with foster care and adoption services for decades, but are now being excluded because of a refusal to place children in homes with same-sex couples or unmarried co-habiting couples.  Other agencies are available who are willing to serve those couples, but now Catholic Charities is not able to serve the many children and families who would benefit from their services. A florist had served a homosexual man for years, but could not participate in his same-sex wedding by providing flowers for that particular event. She was not imposing her faith on him, but simply declining to participate in an event that was contrary to her conscience.  We believe that what we teach is good for society, and we must bear witness to what we believe.
Attacks on religious liberty are very real and extend from denying student organization status, refusing to rent space in public schools for religious services, and insisting that all employers provide insurance coverage for contraception to their employees.

The full articles can be found: 
    How to Talk about Religious Freedom:      English     Spanish 
    Current Threats to Religious Freedom:      English     Spanish

The articles are available at the Hospitality desk in the church, and in the AMC.