Monday, June 4, 2012

Seminar: Religion in the Public Square: Why Americans Must Defend the 1st Amendment


U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called on April 12 for "all the energies the Catholic communitycan muster" for  a campaign in defense of religious liberty betweenJune 21 (Vigil of Feast of Saints Thomas More and John Fisher) and 4th of July(founding of the United States) -- a Fortnight for Freedom. The USCCB asked forparticipation by all men of good will.  We, the laity, are responding.

Where: Nash Auditorium, Founder'sHall, Patrick Henry College, Purcellville, VA, 20132

When: June 30, 2012, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Who: Father Marcel Guarnizo,founder, Aid to the Church in Russia; Criton Zoakos, president, Leto Research,Inc.,  Vivian Freyre, vice-president,Leto Research, Inc.

www.fortnight4freedom.blogspot.com

2 comments:

Restore-DC-Catholicism said...

What is this specific event with Fr Guarnizo called? "Fortnight for Freedom" stands for the entire 2-week effort.

Christina at home said...

The name of the seminar is

Religion in the Public Square: Why Americans Must Defend the First Amendment.

The topics of the individual talks follow.

Saturday, June 30, 2012
1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Nash Auditorium, Patrick Henry College, Purcellville, Virginia

Speakers

Classical Foundations of Western Christendom
Mr. Criton Zoakos, Leto Research

The Cultural Continuity of the West: Aristotle at Mont Saint-Michel
Ms. Vivian Freyre, Leto Research

The Post-Secular Solution to the Crisis of Our Culture
Rev. Marcel Guarnizo, founder, Educational Initiative for Central and Eastern Europe

Legal Fronts in the Fight for the First Amendment
Mr. James Cottone, Knights of Columbus Council 1136

More on why the seminar is being held:
A virtuous citizenry committed to transcendent moral truths is the bedrock of American democracy. In his famous examination of early American culture, Alexis de Tocqueville made note of the influential role of religion. He wrote, “Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the greatness and genius of America. America is good. And if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
Freedom of religion—including a robust presence of religiously informed moral truths in public life—is an indispensable foundation for freedom. If we are not free in our conscience and our practice of religion, all other freedoms are fragile. If our obligations and duties to God are impeded, or even worse, forbidden by the state, then we can no longer claim to be the land of the free, for we will not be free. Democracy is not a machine that can run by itself. It must be built on a firm cultural foundation rooted in the virtues of the people. When those virtues and the moral truths that shape them are banished from the public square, the foundations of the house of freedom are weakened. The remedy is for the people to educate themselves and work together to demand that the state respect their exercise of freedom of religion. Please join us in doing just that.