Photo Caption: Rose Marie Rudolph, left, and Veronica Axelson display a wristband that proclaims “I Support Bishop Jenky” and “Freedom of Religion.”

By: By Tom Dermody

GERMANTOWN HILLS — A way that two friends found to publicly show support for Bishop Daniel R. Jenky’s bold stand on religious freedom is quickly catching on around the Diocese of Peoria.

“It seems to be an idea that people embrace,” said Rose Marie Rudolph of black rubber wristbands bearing the twin phrases “I support Bishop Jenky” and “Freedom of Religion.”

Sensing that others might be looking for ways to stand with Bishop Jenky after his April 14 homily at “A Call to Catholic Men of Faith” sparked a national discussion, Rudolph and friend Veronica Axelson ordered more than 1,000 of the wristbands.

They were gone in three days.

Hundreds were given away to Newman Centers at Bradley University in Peoria and Illinois State University in Normal. Scripture scholar Jeff Cavins mentioned the project during his diocese-wide presentation on the Psalms last weekend at the Spalding Pastoral Center in Peoria. Catholics and non-Catholics alike are grabbing them from bowls at three area restaurants owned by the Axelson family.

“A lot of individuals are saying, ‘Can I have 10?'” said Rudolph, adding that another 10,000 wristbands are on order and should arrive in the coming days. The friends are establishing distribution points at parishes around the diocese.

The wristbands are offered free of charge.

Planned parish distribution points include St. Matthew’s, Champaign; St. Teresa of Avila, Earlville; Corpus Christi, Galesburg; Holy Family, Lincoln; Sacred Heart, Moline; St. Mary’s, Metamora; and Epiphany, Normal. They will also be at the Spalding Pastoral Center in Peoria and at Michael’s Italian Feast restaurant locations in East Peoria, Washington, and Germantown Hills.

An updated list of where the wristbands may be obtained appears on a Facebook site created for the project found by clicking
here.

The idea came from discussions between Rudolph and Axelson after learning of individual and organized group opposition to Bishop Jenky’s homily, which warned that Catholic schools, hospitals, and Newman Centers would be shut down rather than comply with a government mandate that health plans cover the cost of contraception and some drugs that can induce abortion.

Bishop Jenky urged President Barack Obama not to take the United States down the path of other governments throughout history who “have tried to force Christians to huddle and hide only within the confines of their churches.”

“The more we talked, something came alive within us,” said Rudolph, noting the conversations between friends were passionate with exclamations such as “They’re attacking our bishop!” “He’s our shepherd!” and “Enough is enough!”

Rudolph recalled one person who posted derogatory comments about Bishop Jenky on her social media site.

“I didn’t respond, and then I couldn’t sleep that night,” she said.
The pair’s primary goal for the wristbands is to show Bishop Jenky that “his flock is supporting him.” But they also hope the worn messages allow others to see that support — including other Catholics, other bishops, and members of the media.

“IT’S A HUGE ISSUE”
Axelson said the implications of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ mandate “affect every faith in the country” and many small businesses, including her own.

“We all need freedom of religion,” she said. While much of the debate has focuses on church ministries, she points out that the mandate affects “every restaurant and every small business that doesn’t believe in birth control and abortion.”

“It’s a huge issue,” said Axelson. It was her idea to make the wristbands black.

“We thought of blue for Our Lady,” she said, but they opted for black as the color worn by most priests.

Rudolph said that people who opt to wear the wristband should be spiritually and intellectually prepared to defend their position.

“People know it’s something you’re supporting” when they see the wristband, and will ask about it, said Rudolph. She shared the advice given to her by her spiritual director — to always be respectful to the president, pray for him and other political leaders, and “do everything out of love.”

“When President Obama told us as Catholics that we must pay for those drugs that negatively impact our fertility, including drugs whose sole purpose is to murder the young in the womb, he crossed a huge line,” said Rudolph, who with her husband, Steve, are teachers of natural family planning and are active in Catholic music ministry. She said the response to the bishop’s homily has caused her to reflect deeply.

She eventually did respond to the friend who posted on her social media site, including the above quote as well as the bold words that follow:

“I would give my life for these truths of our faith and I would give my life for my bishop who is so strongly and boldly defending them,” she wrote in response.

On Wednesday, four individuals presented a petitioned that they claimed had been signed digitally by 23,000 persons around the country seeking an apology from Bishop Jenky for what they viewed as “offensive remarks” toward President Obama in the homily. The online petition was organized by a group called “Faithful America.”

The diocese responded that the bishop has received “a tremendous outpouring of support” locally and nationally regarding his defense of religious freedom, but that “regretfully, his remarks continue to be misconstrued, distorted, and misunderstood by others.”