Church of the Nativity - Midland Park recently issued the following announcement.

Beginning June 22, the Feast of Saints Thomas More and John Fisher, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops celebrates Religious Freedom Week. Join us in promoting religious freedom For the Good of All.

All people desire to know their Creator. All people have a natural impulse to seek the good and to live in accordance with that good. All people can flourish when they pursue the truth about God and respond to the truth. Religious freedom means that all people have the space to flourish. Religious freedom is both an American value and an important part of Catholic teaching on human dignity. When we promote religious freedom, we promote the common good and thus strengthen the life of our nation and the community of nations.

Pray that people of all faiths would be free to worship without fear of attacks and harassment.

Reflect

Houses of worship provide spaces for people to step back, often with fellow believers, and pray. The disturbing rise in attacks on these places is an attack on religious freedom. Gunmen in churches, synagogues, and mosques terrorize faith communities. In Europe and North America, churches have been desecrated. Priests all over the world have been killed, even while celebrating liturgies. The problem is not limited to attacks on Christians. Over 50 people were murdered in two mosques in New Zealand, while there have been several attacks on synagogues here in the U.S. in recent years. Mosques and synagogues have been vandalized, while there has been a rise in attacks on Jews and Muslims who are simply going about their daily life. These kinds of attacks are assaults on the image of God and cannot be tolerated.

Original source can be found here.