Bishops Call for 'Rosary Novena for Life and Liberty'

From National Catholic Register: 

Sunday, Oct. 14, begins the "Rosary Novena for Life and Liberty" proposed by the U.S. bishops. The novena ends on Monday, Oct. 22.

The Church celebrates October as the month of the holy Rosary, and it is an apt time for Rosary campaigns.

For months, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has urged a strong prayer effort for religious freedom. The USCCB has said October “seems an appropriate time to ask for Our Lady's intercession for these intentions.”

The novena is jointly offered by the USCCB's Committee on Pro-Life Activities and the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty.

In the novena booklet’s introduction, the bishops write:

"This year, believers have faced an unprecedented new threat. In the two centuries since the Bill of Rights was ratified, Americans had the assurance that the U.S. Constitution secured their God-given rights to religious liberty and freedom of conscience. But in 2011, a federal agency mandated that virtually all employers would be required to include sterilization, abortifacient drugs and contraceptives among the benefits covered in the health-care plans they offer employees."

The bishops’ novena comes with a short reflection that ties each day’s saint into the novena with specific intentions for that day regarding respecting life and religious freedom.

The reflections-intentions take only two minutes to read before praying the Rosary. Notably, some old and new American saints are included.

It is most important that we continue to pray that religious liberty is protected in America, one of our most important Constitutional and God-given rights, and that we elect the right candidates that will do this.