Photo Caption: In his newly issued Festival Letter on the theme of “Secularism,” Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, calls Catholics to defend “the very concept of faith in the face of aggressive secularism.”

By: By Tom Dermody

Steps toward “radical secularization” taking place in Illinois pose growing threats to the religious freedom of Catholics, Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, of Peoria warns in a letter designed to “raise an alarm among the faithful” at the beginning of 2012.

Bishop Jenky also said he was “especially scandalized” by Catholic politicians who willingly collaborate with efforts to exclude God and faith from the public forum.

“Many of those in office who were taught to read and write in Catholic schools now seem entirely indifferent to the consciences of those Catholics who live their faith,” wrote Bishop Jenky in a teaching document titled “Secularism.” The text was published in the Jan. 8 issue of The Catholic Post, the newspaper of the Diocese of Peoria, which was mailed to all 60,000 diocesan households. It is also available online via the Catholic Diocese of Peoria.

Calling to mind civil union legislation and court rulings that in 2011 led Catholic Charities agencies throughout the state to dismantle their adoption and foster care programs, Bishop Jenky expressed concerns about possible future actions against Catholic healthcare, schools, and other public ministries.

“There are certainly some in our state whose commitment to aesthetic secularism is so intense that they may well try to restrict the church’s role only to the sacristy and the sanctuary,” wrote Bishop Jenky.

He called faithful Catholics to “more assertive action in defense of our religion and those public ministries which we hold to be the work of Christ.”

“Eventually it may come to pass that our fidelity to the Gospel of Christ and to Catholic tradition may place us in direct conflict with recent legal definitions by the State of Illinois,” writes the bishop.

Sadly, he noted, many Catholics today choose to remain silent when their institutions are attacked or beliefs held up for scorn. Bishop Jenky warned that “the witness we either offer or withhold will have eternal consequences for each one of us.”

The document, known as a “festival letter,” continues a 10-year tradition in Peoria by Bishop Jenky of providing extended teaching on a timely topic at the beginning of the calendar year. They are always dated on the Feast of the Epiphany, and begin with a list of feasts and fasts for the liturgical year.

Last year’s topic was an explanation of the approaching new English translation of the Roman Missal.

“Given the importance of the coming national elections, I hope that these reflections will help to form the consciences of our diocesan family and provide a call to action,” wrote Bishop Jenky in an introduction to this year’s document.

While he names no politician, and says he would never tell Catholics how to vote, his words for Catholic office holders who would “restrict the civil liberty of the faith tradition from which they were originally sprung” were especially pointed.

“On Ash Wednesday, they like to be conspicuous with crosses on their foreheads, but the true Cross of Christ seems far from their minds,” Bishop Jenky wrote. “They enjoy parties on March the 17th and wearing green sweaters but in effect are ashamed of Saint Patrick’s unwavering zeal for the Catholic Christianity.”

“Such people certainly need our prayers, but they should no longer be able to take our friendship or our support for granted,” said Bishop Jenky.