José Gomez, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, marked the Fourth of July observance by underscoring the link between a Christian belief and what this nation became.

“Our nation was established under God — a nation that believes all men and women are endowed by God with a sacred dignity and undeniable rights to life, liberty and equality,” he tweeted. “All of us have a responsibility to be faithful citizens and help America achieve these founding principles.” 

Although the Fourth of July is a secular holiday, Catholic dioceses put out messages on the day, with most noting the founding of that nation being tied to a belief in God and God-given rights, as author Max Anders said in an article about Independence Day. 

He used Thomas Jefferson, writer of the Declaration of Independence, in support of his theory. Jefferson wrote: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” 

The United States, in contrast to many countries that were founded on the basis of shared ancestors or geographical borders, was founded on a shared belief system, Anders said. As Patrick Henry said, “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great Nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here.”

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) suggested the following prayer for Independence Day: ”God of justice, Father of truth, who guide creation in wisdom and goodness to fulfillment in Christ your Son, open our hearts to the truth of his Gospel, that your peace may rule in our hearts and your justice guide our lives.” 

Mary, the Mother of God, has been the patron saint of the United States since 1846, the USCCB said. She was chosen as its patron saint because many of the different immigrant groups that have come to the U.S. share a special devotion to her, and she unites different people with her maternal love. The USCCB describes Mary as the embodiment of "E pluribus unum," which means "out of many, one.”