Fortnight opens with Vespers in St. Paul's

OPENING VESPERS
Friday, June 21

7 p.m., St. Paul Cathedral

The Fortnight for Freedom starts this Friday, June 21. The diocese was invited by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to participate in this 14-day period of prayer, study, witness, and action to address challenges to religious liberty. These concerns include the August 1, 2013 deadline for religious organizations to comply with the HHS mandate and Supreme Court rulings that could redefine marriage.
Bishop McManus has called all the faithful of the diocese to come together in prayer to begin the Fortnight for Freedom on the vigil of the feast of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, Friday, June 21 with Solemn Vespers at 7 p.m. at St. Paul's Cathedral in Worcester. Rev. Richard F. Reidy will be the homilist. Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction will also take place. This celebration will mark the opening of the Fortnight for Freedom and bring the diocese together in prayer to invoke the Lord's help in safeguarding religious liberty.
St. Anne-St. Patrick Parish and St. Anne Shrine in Sturbridge also has organized a special holy hour to observe the Fortnight for Freedom. The holy hour will be held on Sunday, June 30, following the noon mass. A procession with the Blessed Sacrament from the pavilion, along the Way of the Cross, and finishing at the pavilion, will take place, with the rosary being prayed during the procession. Adoration is scheduled to follow the procession as well. All the faithful are invited to attend.
A special mass for the Protection of Religious Freedom will be celebrated by Bishop McManus on Monday, July 1 at 7 p.m. at St. Stephen Church in Worcester. Accompanying the mass will be a light reception in the church hall after the liturgy, with a presentation on "St. Thomas More: A Model of Public Virtue for Our Time" by guest speaker Frances X. Hogan. All the faithful are invited to join in the event as part of the diocesan participation in the national Fortnight for Freedom.