Parishes host Fortnight for Freedom events

By Catholic Review Staff

Parishes across the Archdiocese of Baltimore have been hosting Masses and prayer services and even a ceremonial flag retirement for religious liberty since the Fortnight for Freedom began June 21.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Ellicott City; St. Clement Mary Hofbauer, Rosedale; St. Mark, Fallston; and Ss. Philip and James, Charles Village were among the first parishes to host prayer services. Other events are scheduled daily throughout the Fortnight, which ends July 4.

At St. Clement Mary Hofbauer, the Knights of Columbus held a patriotic ceremony for the retirement of American flags June 23.

Ss. Philip and James’ holy hour June 24 included eucharistic adoration, a reading from the U.S. bishop’s religious liberty statement and a “litany for liberty,” a prayer the U.S. bishops are encouraging for the Fortnight.

Hosting a Fortnight event was a sign of solidarity with the bishops, especially Archbishop Lori, said Dominican Father Carleton Jones, Ss. Philip and James’ pastor.

“[The purpose] is for people to get clarity in their minds and the strength of spirit to be willing to stand up to the onslaught of confusion and misunderstanding and the outright attacks on the church that are happening in the media,” he said.

John Andersson, a parishioner of Mount Calvary in Baltimore, attended the holy hour with his wife and son “to seek strength for ourselves for our own witness,” he said.

To see a photo slideshow of Fortnight for Freedom events, navigate the arrows below.