---

The U.S. bishops' fourth annual Fortnight for Freedom is taking place June 21-July 4 to highlight the importance of religious liberty amid continued threats to religious freedom around the world and in the United States.

Several events around the Albany Diocese will mark the fortnight, most significantly a holy hour with Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger June 28, 7 p.m., at St. Edward's Church in Clifton Park.

Other events include:

•  Also on June 28, a patriotic Rosary after the 8 and 11 a.m. Masses at Immaculate Conception parish, Glenville;

•  on June 29, a patriotic Rosary at 6 p.m. at Corpus Christi parish, Round Lake;

•  on July 1, a prayer service at 7 p.m. at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel worship site of St. Joseph's/St. Michael's/Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish, Amsterdam, with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, a patriotic Rosary and benediction (call Cindy Kuzia, 518-843-3520); and

•  on July 4, a patriotic Rosary after 9 a.m. Mass at St. Madeleine Sophie parish in Schenectady.

An announcement from the Diocese about the fortnight called the dates for the observance "a time when our liturgical calendar celebrates a series of great martyrs who remained faithful in the face of persecution by political power: St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, St. John the Baptist, Ss. Peter and Paul and the first martyrs of the Church of Rome."

An opening Mass June 21 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore was broadcast on EWTN; a closing Mass at noon July 4 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington will also be on EWTN.

This year's fortnight observance theme is the "Freedom to Bear Witness," since Jesus came to bear witness to the truth.

A Catholic News Service story quoted Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore saying that government policies such as the federal mandate to include a full range of contraceptives in employee health insurance and the redefinition of marriage through-out the country threaten religious freedom.

The fortnight, he said, also draws attention to dangers to religious liberty around the world as Christians and people of other faith traditions face persecution, limits on their freedom and death: "Pope Francis pointed out that we are truly living in an age of martyrs. We have to pay a lot of attention to the sacrifices which people are making for their faith around the world. Many Christians are being persecuted, beheaded. And Muslims are being persecuted for not being Muslim enough.

"These are men and women of deep faith and deep courage, and as we witness their sacrifice, first of all I think we have to hold up and to highlight what's happening to them. I'm not sure our leadership is paying enough attention to their sacrifice."

(Learn more at www.rcda.org">www.rcda.org/Fortnight and www.Fortnight4Freedom.com.)[[In-content Ad]]

---