Campus Notes

In response to the infringement of religious liberty by the Obama administration, The Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia, who founded and run Aquinas College in Nashville, have called for nine days of prayer and fasting to ask Our Lady to intercede for this country on behalf of religious liberty.

The United States, from its very beginnings, has been an example of true human freedom and religious liberty for all.  During its history, in fact, our nation has sheltered countless people who came here from countries where their basic freedoms were either in danger or being denied altogether.  Sadly, Americans now face a similar threat.  At this moment, which is strange and new to us, our own religious freedom and rights of conscience are in jeopardy.  Sharing the very serious concerns expressed by Pope Benedict XVI and by our U.S. bishops in recent weeks, the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia will set aside nine days of prayer and fasting during the month of February, asking Our Lady to intercede for our country.

In their announcement, the sisters note that the Holy Father, in a recent address to U.S. bishops said that Catholics in the United States face “grave threats to the Church’s public witness” and “attempts to limit the most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion.”

He was responding to the American bishops’ concerns about “concerted efforts…to deny the right of conscientious objection on the part of Catholic individuals and institutions with regard to cooperation in intrinsically evil practices” and the “tendency to reduce religious freedom to mere freedom of worship.”  Pope Benedict stressed that it is imperative that “the entire Catholic community in the United States” recognize and counter these threats.

The announcement reads that while the threat to religious liberty in this country has many facets, the most immediate is the HHS mandate that would require all insurance policies to cover sterilization procedures and contraceptives including abortifacients.

Because the Obama administration has stated that certain religiously affiliated institutions could apply for a one year extension, some religious organizations may not have to begin covering this until August of next year. But in the meantime, as the sisters point out, the administration states that these institutions must provide their employees with specific information about sites where “contraceptive services” can be obtained. “Thus religious employers are obliged by law to cooperate in actions which they hold in conscience to be intrinsically evil,” says the announcement.

The Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia invite you to join them in a novena of prayer and fasting, asking Mary, Patroness of the United States of America, to implore God’s loving mercy on us at this critical time.  The novena will begin February 11 and end February 19, 2012.  The sisters will be praying the following prayer each of the nine days:

Act of Consecration of the United States to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Most Holy Trinity: Our Father in heaven, who chose Mary as the fairest of your daughters; Holy Spirit, who chose Mary as your spouse; God the Son, who chose Mary as your Mother; in union with Mary, we adore your majesty and acknowledge your supreme, eternal dominion and authority.

Most Holy Trinity, we put the United States of America into the hands of Mary Immaculate in order that she may present the country to you.  Through her we wish to thank you for the great resources of this land and for the freedom, which has been its heritage.  Through the intercession of Mary, have mercy on the Catholic Church in America. Grant us peace.  Have mercy on our president and on all the officers of our government.  Grant us a fruitful economy born of justice and charity.  Have mercy on capital and industry and labor.  Protect the family life of the nation.  Guard the precious gift of many religious vocations.  Through the intercession of our Mother, have mercy on the sick, the poor, the tempted, sinners—on all who are in need.

Mary, Immaculate Virgin, our Mother, Patroness of our land, we praise you and honor you and give our country and ourselves to your sorrowful and Immaculate Heart.  O Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pierced by the sword of sorrow prophesied by Simeon, save us from degeneration, disaster and war. Protect us from all harm.  O Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, you who bore the sufferings of your Son in the depths of your heart, be our advocate.  Pray for us, that acting always according to your will and the will of your divine Son, we may live and die pleasing to God. Amen.

HT Domine da mihi hanc aquam