Catholics across the United States are encouraged to pray, reflect, and act in support of religious liberty at home and abroad during Serving Others in God’s Love: Religious Freedom Week 2018, which begins on June 22, the Feast of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher, and ends on June 29, the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul.  There are many ways to celebrate and address Religious Freedom Week, but here are 10 concrete ways that your parish can participate.

1. Encourage parishioners to reflect, pray, and take action by visiting the daily reflections for Religious Freedom Week. These reflections also will include videos about how people of faith are committed to serving others in God’s love in healthcare, child welfare, migration and refugee resettlement, education, and more.

2. Understand current threats to Religious Freedom and the ongoing fight for our “first freedom” in this recent interview/article by Our Sunday Visitor with Archbishop Kurtz.

3. Pray the Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty each day after Mass from June 22 – June 29.

4. Attend the archdiocesan Religious Freedom Mass on Friday, June 22, 5:00 p.m. at the Little Sisters of the Poor (15 Audubon Plaza Drive, Louisville, KY 40217). The memorial Mass for SS. Thomas More and John Fisher on June 22 (their feast day) will recognize how they bore witness to the truth (and paid for it with their lives).

5. Donate to persecuted Christians around the world (USCCB Recommended Aid Organizations) especially in the Middle East, where there is a major humanitarian catastrophe. In July 2015, Pope Francis said, “Today we are dismayed to see how in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world many of our brothers and sisters are persecuted, tortured and killed for their faith in Jesus….  [I]n this third world war, waged piecemeal, which we are now experiencing, a form of genocide – I insist on the word – is taking place, and it must end.”  More information on ways to help.

6. Organize a special Eucharistic Holy Hour for Life, Marriage, and Religious Liberty.

7. Educate parishioners with bulletin insert (en español) or bulletin blurb on June 17, 2018, the Sunday before Religious Freedom Week begins, to notify Catholics about Religious Freedom Week. There also is a suggested bulletin blurb for June 24. Suggested bulletin blurbs can be found at www.archlou.org/religiousfreedom under Religious Freedom Resources.

8. Volunteer your time or consider becoming a Foster Parent. A major area of concern this year is freedom for child welfare service providers. The federal Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act (H.R. 1881 / S. 811) would protect the religious liberty of child welfare service providers, including adoption and foster care agencies.

9. Inform parishioners via daily tweets during Religious Liberty Week from @ArchbishopKurtz or @usccbfreedom. Responsible social media is an effective way to evangelize and maintain contact with parishioners on vital Catholic issues. Parishioners also may stay up-to-date on current religious freedom issues by signing up for text messages from the USCCB. Just text the word “FREEDOM” to 377377.

10. Show and discuss the film Under Caesar’s Sword with a class, church, or other group. The USCCB-recommended award-winning film is a three-year, collaborative global research project that investigates how Christian communities respond when their religious freedom is severely violated. The 26-minute video has all the materials you need to facilitate an effective way to raise awareness and take action to help persecuted Christians throughout the world.

These and other resources can be found at www.archlou.org/religiousfreedom or www.usccb.org.