“Although fighting the tide of secularism in general and current threats to religious liberty in particular can seem like a daunting task, we know that with God all things are possible; and we know that prayer is the ultimate source of our strength in this fight.”

— Archbishop Lori regarding the fight against the HHS mandate.

 

“The right to religious liberty is a gift from God. … Our public witness arises from a heart and mind shaped by Christ himself.”

— Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore

 

“This is not a matter of whether contraception may be prohibited by the government. ...
Instead, it is a matter of whether religious people and institutions may be forced by the government to provide coverage for contraception or sterilization, even if that violates their religious beliefs.”

— Then-Bishop Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., to Congress, regarding the HHS mandate.

 

“We are so deeply thankful to God. For anyone to be declared ‘Blessed’ is a miracle in itself. But for Hawaii to have two saints for the universal Church, that is the beautiful part of it.”

— Franciscan Sister Davilyn Ah Chick on the Vatican approval of a second miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Marianne Cope.

 

“We need to deal with this issue going forward, since it has been made clear as to what the mistakes were in the past — not to repeat them.”

— Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley on the 10-year anniversary of the clergy abuse scandal in the United States.

 

“When it comes to marriage, abortion or other issues of concern to Catholics, it leaves us in a precarious position. The remedy must be to engage with energy and optimism in public-policy debates, and to win.”

— Georgetown scholar Thomas Farr on how Catholics should respond to current attacks on religious freedom.

 

“It tells us a lot about the administration’s overreach in all parts of our lives.”

— Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., about the Obama administration’s regulation requiring coverage of contraception and sterilization for all private employer health plans. Rubio introduced the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2012 on Jan. 31.

 

“This mandate imposes a serious and unnecessary burden on many religious institutions’ commitments, witness and mission. … In a society that respects and values diversity, as ours does, we should protect and accommodate our distinctively religious institutions and welcome their contributions to the common good.”

— Richard Garnett, a constitutional scholar at the University of Notre Dame, regarding Notre Dame’s joining more than 40 other Catholic institutions in filing suit against the ‘contraception mandate’ May 21.

 

“We had no other option but to take this to the courts. Under the HHS mandate, EWTN is being forced by the government to make a choice: Either we provide employees coverage for contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs and violate our conscience or offer our employees and their families no health-insurance coverage at all. Neither of those choices is acceptable. … We remain quite skeptical that the changes announced by President Obama will in fact address the concerns raised by EWTN.”

— Michael Warsaw, EWTN CEO and Register publisher, regarding the lawsuit the Catholic network filed Feb. 9.

 

“When it comes to religious liberty, the Church is doing a good job. … The message has been clear and unequivocal.”

— Rusty Reno, the editor of First Things, about the presidential debates and related election topics.

 

“What impressed me most was what turned out to be the Ratzinger family secret. How did it happen that a rather simple family, a country policeman and a hotel cook, raised two sons who were both geniuses, each one of his kind — Georg Ratzinger, as the famous musician, composer and choir leader who toured the world, and Joseph Ratzinger, the greatest German theologian and 265th successor of St. Peter? Eventually, I found out that their source of inspiration was the intense Catholic faith and strong piety of this family.”

— German journalist Michael Hesemann, who interviewed Pope Benedict XVI’s brother.

 

“I celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ is love. It is the defining difference.”

— Ilyas Khan on his conversion to Catholicism from Islam.

 

“I venture to say that never in the lifetime of anyone present here has the religious liberty of the American people been as threatened as it is today.”

— Carl Anderson of the Knights of Columbus at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.

 

“If you follow your vocation, you will be the best version of yourself.”

— Mother Teresa Christe of the Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa (California).

 

“This is the time the Church’s face can truly be the face of Christ for one another.”

— Father Frank Nelson, pastor of Maria Regina Church in Seaford, N.Y., about the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

 

“If the whole economy goes down, the poor go down with it. But we can’t solve these problems on the back of the poor.”

— Bishop Stephen Blaire of Stockton, Calif., the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice, Peace and Human Development.

 

“The better we live our Catholic faith, the better we serve our country. Love of God and love of country go hand in hand. … You can’t sit back and allow injustice to have free reign. You have to be proactive and stand up for your beliefs and for the good of society.”

— Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.

 

“We need to ‘speak out,’ not only for religious liberty and the ideals of the nation we love, but for the sacredness of life and the dignity of the human person — in other words, for the truth of what it means to be made in the image and likeness of God.”

— Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia at the Fortnight for Freedom’s closing Mass July 4.

 

“Catholics have always turned instinctively for help to the Mother of God in times of need. And so, in 2012, we turn to Our Lady for help. Many of the values that shaped our country from the beginning seem to be at risk. Pope Benedict XVI and the American bishops have noted the erosion of religious freedom in the United States, the first value guaranteed by the Constitution. The ‘Novena to the Mother of God for the Nation’ will remind us of some of the central truths of the faith, in particular, the incarnation, passion, death and resurrection of the Lord and Mary’s unique role in our salvation. It will be, in a way, a catechism lesson that challenges us to a deeper conversion to Christ and a more generous life of charity. The proximity of the novena to the 2012 presidential election will also offer an opportunity to pray for all of our government officials and seek divine assistance in the elections.”

— excerpt from our special feature in lieu of a Quote of the Week.

 

“Catholicism and Christianity is a big part of my daily life. I wake up with prayer. I go to bed with prayer. Before a race, I pray.”

— Mexican-American runner Diego Estrada, who competed for Mexico at the Olympic Games in London.

 

“If we don’t save marriage, things will get very dark. The idea that you can change the definition of marriage is a lie. If our society accepts this lie, it will fall.”

— Archbishop-designate Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco.

 

“This is a time when Catholics have a particular role to play in American history: to call the nation back to its true self.”

— Msgr. Stuart Swetland, Flynn Professor of Christian Ethics at Mount St. Mary’s University, regarding the HHS mandate.

 

“I talk about the obligation of Christians and Catholics to be Christian without being partisan. Catholic politicians can identify with their party, but they should also demonstrate a Catholic difference.”

— Columnist Ross Douthat on Catholicism and politics.

 

“Workers coming out could be the beginning of the end for the abortion industry.”

— Abby Johnson, Catholic convert and former Planned Parenthood employee, on the impact of 40 Days for Life.

 

“God knows us, and he loves us. If we let the love of Christ change our heart, then we can change the world.”

— Pope Benedict’s address to young people during his trip to Mexico.

 

“Mary wrapped the Child in swaddling clothes. Without yielding
to sentimentality, we may imagine with what great love Mary approached her hour and prepared for the birth of her child.”

— Pope Benedict XVI’s Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, as quoted in page-one book review.