Photo Caption: The rally at the Peoria County Courthouse is one of five planned around the state and among more than 100 across the nation calling on the U.S. government to drop the contraception mandate.

Central Illinois residents are invited to take part in a rally for religious freedom at noon Friday, March 23, at the Main Street side of the Peoria County Courthouse in downtown Peoria.

The event is part of a Nationwide Rally for Religious Freedom calling on the U.S. government to drop its contraception coverage mandate to be imposed on employers even in violation of their conscience. The mandate, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, forces employers, including religious ones, to provide coverage of contraception/sterilization as well as abortifacients in their health plans.

The rally is one of three opportunities in the coming weeks to stand up in defense of religious freedom.

The U.S. bishops have urged Catholics and “all people of faith” across the nation to observe March 30 as a day of prayer and fasting for religious freedom and conscience protection.

Meanwhile, defending religious freedom is also a theme of this year’s “A Call to Catholic Men of Faith,” a diocese-wide event expected to draw hundreds of participants for a march through downtown Peoria on Saturday, April 14. For more on the men’s march and Mass, click here.

The theme for Friday’s noon rally in Peoria is “Stand Up for Religious Freedom — Stop the HHS Mandate.”

While Central Illinois Right to Life is coordinating the Peoria rally, more than 100 similar gatherings are being organized nationally by the Pro-Life Action League and Citizens for a Pro-Life Society. It is described as a “peaceful, family-friendly, nonpartisan, ecumenical event.” The Peoria rally is one of four planned in Illinois, with others to take place in Chicago, Freeport, Rockford, and Sterling.

For more information, call Karen Guth at (309) 453-7493, e-mail her at godshelperkaren@gmail.com, or visit standupforreligiousfreedom.com.

DAY OF PRAYER, FASTING
The U.S. bishops announced the March 30 daylong observance in a statement titled “United for Religious Freedom” that was approved March 14 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Administrative Committee.

They asked Catholics and others to join them in “prayer and penance for our leaders and for the complete protection of our first freedom — religious liberty — which is not only protected in the laws and customs of our great nation, but rooted in the teachings of our great tradition.”

Prayer resources have been posted on the USCCB website.

Also, “Prayer for Religious Liberty” prayer cards are available as a downloadable PDF file. The cards are available in English and Spanish, and feature three different images: Mary as the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the U.S.; Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas and the unborn; and St. Thomas More, the patron saint of the legal profession who was martyred for standing up for his religious beliefs.