Once again, the observance of The Second Fortnight for Freedom, June 21 through to July 4, 2013, will be parish-based in the Archdiocese.  The following is encouraged:

• The daily praying of the Rosary as part of parish meetings and in homes for the protection of Religious Freedom.
• Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament for the protection of Religious Freedom (Tuesday, 8:30 A.M. to 7 P.M.).
• The inclusion of the following prayer for religious liberty in all meetings and assemblies in parishes.

Prayer for Religious Liberty

Almighty God, Father of all nations,
for freedom you have set us free in Christ Jesus (Gal 5:1).

We praise and bless you for the gift of religious liberty,
the foundation of human rights, justice and the common good.

 Grant to our leaders the wisdom
to protect and promote our liberties.

By your grace may we have the courage to defend them,
for ourselves and for all those who live in this blessed land.

We ask this
through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, our patroness,
and in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, with whom you live and reign,
one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

An additional prayer and related resources can be found at:  http://usccb.org/issues-action/religious-liberty/fortnight-for-freedom/fortnight-freedom:prayer-resources.cfm

The following website provides reflection materials in English and Spanish:  http://usccb/issues-action/religious-liberty/fortnight-for-freedom/fortnight-for-freedom-reflections.cfm.

• Marriage Encounter Philly Area

• Marriage Encounter World-wide

• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops – For Your Marriage Resources

During this Year of Faith, our Catholic Bishops have called for a nationwide effort to advance the movement for Life, Marriage and Religious Liberty.

Join the movement for our nation, and for life, marriage and religious liberty!

Click this weblink for more info – Call to Prayer 2013

Brothers and sisters,

            Prayer is the foundation of all we do in the pro-life movement, and we invite you to join tens of thousands of others who are offering each day, a prayer of commitment to build a culture of life. We urge you to pray, throughout the year, the daily prayer to end abortion. You will find the link to this prayer below. We invite Christians of every denomination to join in saying this prayer each day, and to let us know that they are saying it.

            Throughout the year, Priests for Life will invite believers to participate in the several special Novena of prayer. As each Novena begins, we will post a link below to the prayer that can be said for that Novena.

            When you sign up you will have an opportunity to leave your email address with us. This will also enable you to receive my regular pro-life commentary every two weeks.

            Thank you for joining this prayer effort. Please spread the word!

Father Frank Pavone

Priests for Life Prayer Campaign website – www.PrayerCampaign.org

Click the Picture above for more info

Catholic Schools and the Christian Mission

 Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
January 28, 2013

God renews the world with our actions, not our intentions. What separates real discipleship from surface piety is whether we actually do what we say we believe.
 
Our vocation as Christians is not simply to pass along good morals to our children, or convey a sense of  God’s hand in the world. These things are vital, of course, but they don’t exhaust our purpose for being here. Our mission is to bring the world to Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ to the world. Each of us is  a missionary, and our primary task is the conversion  of our own hearts and the hearts of others so that someday the whole world will acknowledge Jesus Christ as humanity’s only savior and Lord.
 
That’s a big job. We can’t do it by just talking about it, any more than Christ could redeem us by writing an essay on sin. The Gospels have power because they tell the story of what God did; what his only Son did; and what Christ’s followers did. The Passion accounts of Christ’s suffering and death move us so deeply because they show in bitter detail how unashamedly God loves us.
 
This is the hot spark at the heart of every sincere attempt to tell the story of our redemption. God spared not even his own Son in saving us. No wonder the cross draws the eye of great artists again and again down through the centuries. The blood of the cross reminds us that – on at least one day in history – love had no limits. And since then, everything has been different.
 
How does this relate to Catholic schools?  We tend to forget that for much of its history, the United States has not welcomed Catholics or their faith.  Anti-Catholic prejudice and violence were common.  Catholic schools in the 19th  and early 20th  centuries had the task of ensuring the survival of the Church by protecting Catholic children from the heavily Protestant formation found in American public education.  Times have changed, and today believing Christians, whatever their background, usually try to seek common ground rather than reasons to disagree.  This is a great blessing.  But the “countercultural” work of Catholic schools – forming young lives in virtue, truth and a vivid  Catholic identity – remains crucial.  In a national environment that often seems morally confused, and  increasingly indifferent to religion in general and Christianity in particular, Catholic schools offer a path not just to knowledge but to moral wholeness.

By anchoring themselves in the love of God, Catholic schools, at their best, create in the student a hunger for achievement and academic excellence.  They form young people in the kind of moral purpose that leads to leadership and social responsibility in adult life.  The results don’t lie.  It’s no accident that a vast number of business and civic leaders in the Philadelphia region were educated, at least in part, by Catholic schools.  In their effect, our schools are a treasure not just for the Catholic Church, but for the whole public community.  That’s why our archdiocesan schools are worth fighting to keep alive and to grow, despite all the financial pressures we now face.  And that’s why Catholics need to be politically engaged on matters like school choice and financially generous in their support of Catholic education.
  
This year, January 27 through February 2 is Catholic Schools Week.  Here in Philadelphia, a lot has happened in the last 12 months:  the release of a Blue Ribbon Commission report on Catholic education; parish school reprieves and consolidations; a new chance at life for four high schools scheduled to close; a new Faith in the Future Foundation to underwrite the strategic health of our Catholic schools; and new initiatives to sustain “mission schools” in poor areas.   As we rightly honor our school teachers, administrators and wonderful donors, we need to remember two things:  First, the excellence of our schools makes them worth all of our sacrifices; and second, the purpose of our schools is much more than mere professional success.

God built the Church we’ve inherited through the love of generations of believers. Their witness made our faith possible. It’s now our turn to shape the future by the zeal we bring to our own daily witness. It’s our turn to act. It’s our turn to live our Catholic faith with all the courage and strength Christ brought to loving the Church he founded.  

Catholic schools play an irreplaceable role in making that kind of vigorous Christian witness a reality.  More than any other reason, that’s why they’re important.
The Church depends on God who will always renew and protect her. But she also depends on you and me – teachers, pastors, parents and so many others – to carry Christ’s mission into the world. Words are cheap.  Actions matter. It’s time to live our Catholic faith as the apostles did – and through it, to reshape the world. 

Click the web link below:

https://www.osvparish.com/Portals/3/Documents/PDF/jan2013_coloringholycards.pdf

Click the website link below:

http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/year-of-faith/videos.cfm

Ministries extend compassion to those who’ve had abortions

Catholic organizations help women heal through the sacraments and by letting them know they are forgiven

POST-ABORTION RESOURCES

Project Rachel:  hopeafterabortion.org or contact Catholic Charities (215-587-5650).

Rachel’s Hope After Abortion, Rachel’s Hope Ministry:  rachelshope.org or 858-581-3022.

Lumina Hope & Healing After Abortion:  postabortionhelp.org

Fathers & Brothers Ministries International:  1-888-546-0148

Project Joseph:  projectrachelkc.com/help-for-men/

Rachel’s Vineyard Ministries:  rachelsvineyard.org

Reclaiming Fatherhood:  Menandabortion.info

National Office For Post Abortion Reconciliation and Healing:  noparh.org

Silent No More Awareness Campaign:  silentnomoreawareness.org

Love From Above:  lovefromaboveinc.com

Priests For Life:  priestsforlife.org