Last Sunday our parish’s Defender of the Faith ministry joined with St. Ann’s Parish in Avon to host a public forum entitled The Catholic Church in the Public Square. The guest speakers were Mr. Michael Culhane, executive director of the Connecticut Catholic Conference (representing the three dioceses and one archdiocese in the State of Connecticut) and Jim Vicevich, host of WTIC’s Sound Off Connecticut 1080 AM talk radio show. The Forum was moderated by The Hartford Courant’s Chief Political Reporter Mr. Christopher Keating. The event was well done and very well attended, with Fr. Bennett Hall packed to capacity.

Many topics and issues were discussed from audience-generated questions: from the impact on the Church of the federal Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare) to the tax exempt status of the Church to the issues of encroachment by the state on traditional Christian teachings and church activities. The public interest in these topics and the Catholic Church’s response to legislation that violates not only long-held and foundational Church teachings, but also the ability of the Catholic Church to operate freely in our society—in doing things such as feeding the hungry, providing housing and shelter to the homeless and poor, offering health care through its hospitals, nursing homes or the Malta Mo-bile Medical Vans to all people no matter their religion, creed or gender.
Those in attendance recognized the government’s at-tempts to limit the Church’s ability to carry out Jesus Christ’s mission and ministry in the modern world as a violation of the Church’s collective religious freedom as well as a violation of individual Christian rights. More such public forums will be offered to help educate individuals to the Church’s position on these and other important public policy issues.

No matter what one’s individual beliefs or political leanings are, one of the things we can all come away with is a need for greater prayer in these difficult times. The following prayer was offered at the Public Forum and is intended for our personal prayer lives. Feel free to pray this prayer at any time:

“O God our Creator, from Your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You have called us as Your people and given us the right and the duty to worship You, the only true God, and Your Son, Jesus Christ. Through the power and working of Your Holy Spirit, You call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society. We ask You to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty. Give us the strength of mind and heart to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened; give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of Your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.

Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters gathered in Your Church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome—for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all who come after us—this great land will always be “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.”