In honor of our fallen heroes, and all who serve in the nation’s Armed Forces, Knights of Columbus release new Memorial Day commercial featuring an excerpt of President Franklin Roosevelt’s D-Day prayer.

As America’s bishops and Catholic organizations around the country file lawsuits to protect their First Amendment rights from the government’s health care mandate, a new survey finds that a significant majority of Americans support the right to opt out of providing drugs, services and procedures for religious reasons.

According to the Knights of Columbus-Marist Poll, the survey found that nearly three in four Americans (74 to 26 percent) say that freedom of religion should be protected, even if it conflicts with other laws. Majorities would also protect the First Amendment conscience rights of hospitals, health care workers and insurers.

Read more at Majority of Americans Support First Amendment Conscience Rights in Health Care.

For more information about the Knights of Columbus and KofC St. Joan of Arc Council 3384 in Orleans MA, please contact us.

If you really like this blog post, please comment below and/or share it with your friends.

 
This Memorial Day, as we salute the courageous men and women of our armed forces, let us also take a moment to celebrate and offer thanksgiving for the priests who serve alongside our troops as military Chaplains. The Archdiocese of Boston is one of two leading U.S. dioceses providing priests for military service. Our military Chaplains are on call 24-hours a day to deliver the sacraments, provide counsel, or simply offer a listening ear to thousands of U.S. troops.

Thank you for your prayers and support of the Archdiocese of Boston.

After all the very visible fighting about public displays of religious symbols— from 10 Commandments plaques to graveyard crosses to faith-themed war memorials to holiday manger displays—you might have developed the impression that most Americans don’t think the Bible matters today and they like it that way.

You’d be wrong.

There is a lot of speculation about both the current role and the appropriate role of the Bible in America. But each year, American Bible Society puts the guessing aside and asks a sampling of Americans to tell us how they view and use the Bible and what they believe its role should be in America.  Recently, American Bible Society released this year’s results from that research in the 2012 State of the Bible report.

Read more at Does the Bible still matter in 2012?

While a group that opposes expressions of Christianity in public forums wants the IRS to use its formidable power to crack down on what pastors say, one legal foundation says, “Bring it on,” promising a “legal war” if churches are attacked on such issues.

Americans United for the Separation of Church and State Executive Director Barry Lynn recently wrote a letter to the IRS demanding help in quashing the speech of a leader in the Roman Catholic Diocese in Peoria, Ill.

The April 19 letter calls a recent homily given by Bishop Daniel Jenky a violation of IRS regulations relating to the tax-exempt status of the church, because Jenky cited atrocities of past governments, specifically naming Hitler and Stalin, and then cited the failings of the Obama administration.

Read more at ‘War’ promised if IRS attacks church speech.

WORCESTER —  Bishop Robert J. McManus said yesterday that he will not ask Anna Maria College to reconsider its decision to withdraw its commencement speaking invitation to Victoria Reggie Kennedy.

The liberal arts school in Paxton disinvited Mrs. Kennedy, the widow of the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, after the bishop told Anna Maria College President Jack Calareso that he had concerns about her positions on abortion, gay marriage and other social issues.

The bishop, who thought the school should have chosen a speaker more closely attuned to Catholic social teachings, told Anna Maria that he would not attend the May 19 commencement exercises if Mrs. Kennedy spoke and received an honorary degree in public administration.

Read more at Bishop McManus holds firm on disinvite of Victoria Kennedy.

Find out what changed their minds – in seconds! This shocking, award-winning documentary will rock your world!

On February 5, 2012 Father Sammie Maletta delivered a Homily at St. John the Evangelist Parish in St. John, Indiana. This Homily addressed how President Obama is threatening our Religious Freedom and declaring war with the Catholic Church. No one sums it up quite like Father Maletta. Please take a few moments to listen:

Visit Conscience Protection at US Conference of Catholic Bishops to fight the HHS Mandate.

Supreme Knight Carl Anderson addressed a burning issue for Catholics nationwide – religious liberty – during the Annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. The supreme knight was the guest speaker for the event.

“Seldom has religious liberty been threatened in so many places in the world, and never before in this country’s history have people of faith faced such widespread threats to their religious freedom as they face today here in the United States,” said Supreme Knight Anderson. “For Catholics, and all people of faith, this is a critical moment.”

Also speaking was Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, the Vatican’s Apostolic Nuncio to the United Nations, who delivered the keynote address.

Read more at Supreme Knight Addresses National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.

Addressing a burning issue for Catholics nationwide – religious liberty – Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Carl Anderson will serve as guest speaker at this year’s Eighth Annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.

Also speaking will be Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, the Vatican’s Apostolic Nuncio to the United Nations, who will deliver the keynote address.

“Seldom has religious liberty been threatened in so many places in the world, and never before in this country’s history have people of faith faced such widespread threats to their religious freedom as they face today here in the United States,” said Supreme Knight Anderson. “For Catholics, and all people of faith, this is a critical moment.”

Read more at Supreme Knight Carl Anderson to Address 8th Annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.