Sacred Heart of Jesus parishioners in Hot Springs Village participated in Fortnight For Freedom, the 14 days from June 21 to July 4, Independence Day.
Father Bill Elser, pastor, celebrated a vigil Mass Friday, June 21 at 5 p.m. to commemorate the Saturday feast day of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher, martyrs. Parishioners then shared potluck supper and watched the movie “For Greater Glory,” the true story about persecution of the Catholic Church in Mexico during the 1920s.
The event culminated Thursday, July 4, with Mass at 9 a.m., followed by the recitation of the Patriotic Rosary and a reception in the church lower hall, attended by 125 parishioners.
Marianne Linane, director of the Respect Life office for the Diocese of Little Rock, stated, “ It makes me proud to be a member of Sacred Heart Church where Father Elser and the parishioners are executing the Fortnight for Freedom in the way promoted by the USCCB through the Office of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities. I can only hope that this effort is being duplicated in all the parishes of our diocese”.
Fortnight For Freedom, as Father Elser explained, “provides a unique and wonderful opportunity for Catholics to remember the sacrifices that so many have made over the years in defense of their faith and their right to freely practice their faith without coercion and/or interference from government officials. It is, for some, a wake-up call to renew and strengthen their faith and boldly profess it both in church during worship and outside of church in the public sphere. When our religious freedoms are being threatened (as they are in a growing number of ways in our country) we must not be silent.”
