Preserving Our Freedoms

June 10, 2015

By Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
On June 14, 1777, the Stars and Stripes were adopted as our Nations flag. This national symbol
was the subject of Francis Scott Keys hymn during the War of 1812 that would later become
our national anthem.
On this Flag Day, perhaps we might consider how best to celebrate the freedoms that the flag
represents. America is in some sense an exceptional Nation, for what joins us all is not a
common blood, but rather a willingness to leave our homelands so that we might live free of the
tyranny of political oppression or poverty.
It is the sense of adventure, as well as the unwavering commitment to freedom, that binds
Africans, Asians, Europeans and Latin Americans to one another. It just takes a walk in
Flushing Meadows Park or Prospect Park to notice the many faces of people, who, in some
cases, are enemies in other parts of the world but live peacefully as neighbors here in New York.
It is the First Amendment to the Constitution that guarantees our most cherished freedoms:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Sadly, these freedoms are daily assaulted in other parts of the world. In particular, we are
obligated to work to alleviate the plight of Christians who suffer daily because of their faith in
those places that were first to hear the proclamation of the Gospel. We share indirect
responsibility for the suffering they are enduring, and must give voice to their suffering and
pray unceasingly for peace.
Here in our own country, there is a much more subtle erosion of these freedoms. Increasingly,
people of faith, and the institutions that religious communities have formed to be vehicles of
charity and good works, are required to cooperate in policies which we believe to be evil.

Certainly, it would be preposterous for us to claim religious oppression, especially in light of

the suffering of Christians in Syria and Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Palestine, the Sudan and
China. We cannot insult the sufferings of Christians in the hostile places of the world by
claiming our suffering in anyway is comparable. In truth, their blood is the blood of the martyrs.
Yet, the erosion of our freedoms is real and we must not takes these threats lightly, or our
children will suffer the consequences of our neglect. To that end, I am calling on each of our
parishes to participate in the Fortnight for Freedom from June 21- July 4.
I have asked that our diocesan television station, NET TV, run short stories on a particular
aspect of religious freedom each day during the fortnight. At the Co-Cathedral of Saint Joseph,
we will have 24 hours of Eucharistic Adoration beginning on July 3 at 9 a.m. and concluding on
July 4 with Mass and Benediction at 9 a.m.
My hope is that all our parishes will join me as we put out into the deep praying constantly for
the suffering of our persecuted brothers and sisters as well as remaining vigilant in defense of
our fundamental human rights.
Tags: Christian persecution, Fortnight for Freedom, NET TV, religious freedom