Dear Parishioners:
The Signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 (Edward Hicks, 1845)
On July 4, 1776, amid the American Revolution, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia boldly declared the thirteen colonies independent from Great Britain. We celebrate that anniversary today as Independence Day! We rejoice today that the shackles of British imperialism are destroyed, and we as, a nation gained our liberty from royal oppression. On Independence Day, 245 years later, we continue to celebrate this Declaration. With all our fellow Americans, we celebrate our freedom and liberty. As Catholics, we especially pray for and celebrate religious freedom and liberty in our nation.
Many of the colonists who came to America in the 17th and 18th centuries were fleeing religious persecution. Like the Puritans and Quakers, Catholics also came to America to escape persecution. English and Irish Catholics first settled in Maryland since the first Baron of Baltimore, George Calvert, was a Catholic and founded Maryland as a haven for persecuted Christians. As a result, Catholics and Protestants lived peacefully side by side in Maryland. The Act of Toleration of 1649 guaranteed religious liberty. But in 1654, when Puritans took over the governance of Maryland, they repealed the act, and Catholics were outlawed.
Maryland joined the other colonies in enacting the English penal laws that restricted the freedom of Catholics: the denial of the right to vote or to hold public office, the prohibition of public worship, and even the imprisonment of priests. The penal laws against Catholics were in force with different levels of severity in the colonies for over a century. Nevertheless, for over a century, the small number of Catholics in the thirteen colonies clung to their religious faith despite active persecution and denial of their civil rights. They supported the American Revolution hoping that independence from Britain would bring them greater religious liberty in the new republic.
Bishop John Carroll, First Catholic Bishop in the United States.
American Catholics, including the Bishop of Baltimore, John Carroll, who in 1790 was ordained the first Catholic bishop in the United States, and his cousin Charles Carroll, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, rejoice in the newfound liberty. They were especially pleased that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, especially the First Amendment, defined our first freedom: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
The First Amendment allowed Catholics the freedom to practice their faith. Yet, it did not eradicate the cultural anti-Catholicism that persisted in sometimes violent form during the following century with the rise of the Know-Nothing Party and other nativist groups. Sadly, this persistent prejudice is still alive today, especially among certain elites in politics, academia, Hollywood, the media, and other influential molders of public opinion. Today, religious liberty is primarily concerned with a more general anti-religious cultural movement, rooted in secularism and relativism, which seeks to limit the role of religion in public life. This limitation was certainly not the intent of our founding fathers, who recognized the essential role of religion and the virtues it inspires in providing the foundation for the success of a democratic society.
Little Sisters of the Poor protest government mandates in violation of their religious liberty.
Our founding fathers believed that religion, virtue, and morality based on the natural law were essential foundations for the success of the American Experiment. In his farewell address to the nation, George Washington declared: "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness."
On Independence Day, we pray for the protection of religious freedom in our nation. We pray too for those who are persecuted for their faith across the globe. May Almighty God, who gave us life and liberty, bless us, our nation, and the world. May freedom ring! Welcome, Fr. Mahoney! Happy Fourth of July! Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox! God Bless America!