Posted by AngieSchubert (July 23, 2012 at 1:39 pm)
Livonia Michigan’s first Stand Up for Freedom Rally was held June 8th. To all 225 men, women, and children present, it appeared to be a mini meeting of the United Nations.
Opening up the rally in prayer was Fr. Theo D’Cunha, pastor of St. Priscilla’s parish in Livonia, who has been serving the Diocese of Detroit for 5 years. A priest of the Pallotine Fathers and native of India, Fr. Theo reminded us that this fight is about keeping our religious freedoms so that we can pass them on to future generations.
Following the opening prayer the Star Spangled banner was sung by Emily Crombese, a homeschooled high school sophomore who performs with the Michigan Opera Theatre. The son of a Mallorcan immigrant, Michael Vallespir led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Michael Tworek, a homeschooled fifth grader, then read the First Amendment. [Continue reading …]
Posted by Kristen Hayes-Yearick (June 27, 2012 at 11:12 am)
More than 100 men, women and children stood together in front of the Federal Building on West 3rd street on June 8th to defend our fundamental right to Religious Freedom.
When Williamsport held its first rally in March, leaders Kristen Hayes and Sarah Reid knew a second rally would be inevitable if Health and Human Services did not rescind the mandate. [Continue reading …]
Posted in June 8 Rally Report | Comments Off on Photos from Williamsport, Pennsylvania’s Stand up for Religious Freedom Rally
Police at Dayton’s Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally Friday seem to have violated one clause of the First Amendment while protesters were rallying about another.
After the rally began, campus police told the approximately 400 attendees they had to put their signs on the ground. Nothing like it happened at any of the other 160-some noon rallies at cities around the country.
Bryan Kemper, one of the rally’s speakers, says he’s never seen anything like it. Now Youth Outreach Coordinator for Priests for Life, Kemper has had a long career in pro-life work with teens and young adults. The founder both Rock for Life and Stand True Pro-Life Outreach, he has spoken at rallies and events around the country for more than a decade. “This is a first,” he says. [Continue reading …]
Posted by Jenifer Bowen (June 21, 2012 at 5:06 pm)
The Des Moines rally was attended by 200+ who enthusiastically responded to the line up of speakers.
Jenifer Bowen, Executive Director of Iowa Right To Life, kicked off the rally by reading a support statement from both Governor Branstad and Lt. Governor Reynolds (attached), who could not attend the rally in person that day.
Msgr. Frank Bognanno from Christ the King Church in Des Moines, read a statement from Bishop Richard Pates of the Des Moines Diocese, who invited everyone to the Fortnight of Freedom event taking place on Sunday, July 1st about this same issue.
Monsignor Bognanno stated, “Some people say this is an issue that should be between a woman and her doctor. That’s not true. It’s between the woman and the doctor and the one who has to pay. If this mandate goes through, I think it will eventually include abortions. We need to make a stand right now.” [Continue reading …]
Posted by Phillip Nachazel (June 21, 2012 at 3:50 pm)
Hundreds of people showed up at the Open Space in Traverse City Friday to protest the HHS Mandate. People of all faiths stood in solidarity with those in over 160 cities nationwide to proclaim their right to religious freedom. A spirit of comraderie, enthusiasm, and purpose marked the event. There were signs, patriotic songs, prayers, and speeches.
Pastor Paul Silbor of Honor Congregational Church said, “To be silent is to be complicit” and “without our voice all that child in the womb has is a silent cry.” Bishop Bernard Hebda said in his remarks, “It isn’t up to the government to decide which of our activities are religious or not,” and “We serve because we are Catholic, not because those in need are Catholic.” [Continue reading …]
Posted by Nicole Collins (June 21, 2012 at 12:00 pm)
In Delaware, the first state in the Union, over 250 rallied for Religious Freedom in Wilmington, the state’s capital. Check out these pictures to see what happened:
Nicole Collins, President of Delaware Right to Life
Posted by Jason Schmidt (June 21, 2012 at 9:32 am)
A torrential downpour couldn’t keep 300 Oregonians and Southwest Washingtonians away from the Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally on June 8, 2012 in Terry Schrunk Plaza in Portland, Oregon. 100 more viewed the rally remotely on a Ustream channel. This was the second Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally in Oregon, with the first on March 23.
Amid umbrellas, raincoats, and waterproof boots, the rally began without a hitch and everyone was called to attention with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem.
Pastor Stephen Williams of Prepare the Way Ministries kicked things off and shouts from among the crowd of “Amen!” could be heard as he preached about our Biblical right to religious freedom. Jim Greenfield, of the Jim Greenfield Show, got the crowd going even more with his wit and Constitutional knowledge. [Continue reading …]
The theme of this June 8 Rally in Woodstock, Illinois was “A little child shall lead them.” The children’s choir from the Vine Church in Woodstock opened the rally by leading the crowd in singing Lee Greenwood’s song, Proud to be an American.
And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. …
On Memorial Day Weekend, everybody sang and prayed, praised our military, both past and present, and, especially when Taps was played so soulfully, we didn’t forget the men who died for that freedom we so cherish. [Continue reading …]
Posted by Margarita Rath (June 20, 2012 at 3:12 pm)
My name is Margarita Rath, a resident in Huffman, Texas and parishioner of St Philip Catholic Church. A small group of 5 women from a Familia group at St Philip stand outside Planned Parenthood once a month on vigil prayer for an hour each time to help Houston Coalition doing sidewalk counseling.
I am one of those women and when we noticed there was not a Houston group registered on your website to do a rally I started checking every day until 3 days before the event took place I picked up the phone to call you to offer our help and so I signed on as a rally captain.
Soon I started getting emails with people offering their help and asking for directions to the place. My first call was from Christine Melchor, Director of Houston Coalition, she works in the RV parked outside Planned Parenthood building which offers pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, counseling amongst other services all free of charge. [Continue reading …]
Posted by Sam Scheidler (June 15, 2012 at 3:51 pm)
Jeffrey Tyler has put together the following video of the Davenport Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally in Davenport, Iowa. It covers Father Thomas Hennen’s speech on the unconstitutionality of the HHS mandate, and his subsequent leading of the crowd in prayer.
Livonia Michigan’s first Stand Up for Freedom Rally was held June 8th. To all 225 men, women, and children present, it appeared to be a mini meeting of the United Nations.
More than 100 men, women and children stood together in front of the Federal Building on West 3rd street on June 8th to defend our fundamental right to Religious Freedom.
My name is Margarita Rath, a resident in Huffman, Texas and parishioner of St Philip Catholic Church. A small group of 5 women from a Familia group at St Philip stand outside Planned Parenthood once a month on vigil prayer for an hour each time to help Houston Coalition doing sidewalk counseling.