by Chris Albracht
June 19, 2012
Amarillo—Bishop Patrick J. Zurek encourages all Catholics in the Diocese of Amarillo to attend Evening Prayer Thursday, June 28 at 7:00pm at St. Mary’s Cathedral, 1200 South Washington.
“This will be an Inter-Faith Prayer Service, in which we have invited our brothers and sisters of our non-Catholic Christian denominations and people of the Muslim and Jewish communities to join us,” he said. “I encourage all the Catholic people in the Diocese of Amarillo to please join me for that evening.”
Among the ministers scheduled to join Bishop Zurek for the prayer service will be Gene Shelburne of Anna Street Church of Christ, Amarillo; Jimmy Witcher of Trinity Fellowship Church, Amarillo; and, Ty Jones of Arena of Life, Amarillo.
The prayer service is being conducted in conjunction with a Fortnight of Freedom, a 14-day period from Thursday, June 21 to Wednesday, July 4, Independence Day, established by U.S. Bishops as a great hymn of prayer for our country. This special period of prayer, study, catechesis and public action will emphasize both our Christian and American heritage of liberty.
“This will be an Inter-Faith Prayer Service, in which we have invited our brothers and sisters of our non-Catholic Christian denominations and people of the Muslim and Jewish communities to join us,” he said. “I encourage all the Catholic people in the Diocese of Amarillo to please join me for that evening.”
Among the ministers scheduled to join Bishop Zurek for the prayer service will be Gene Shelburne of Anna Street Church of Christ, Amarillo; Jimmy Witcher of Trinity Fellowship Church, Amarillo; and, Ty Jones of Arena of Life, Amarillo.
The prayer service is being conducted in conjunction with a Fortnight of Freedom, a 14-day period from Thursday, June 21 to Wednesday, July 4, Independence Day, established by U.S. Bishops as a great hymn of prayer for our country. This special period of prayer, study, catechesis and public action will emphasize both our Christian and American heritage of liberty.
“The most crucial aspect in this debate is the extremely narrow definition of what it means to be a Religious Ministry that has been handed down by the present administration,” said Bishop Zurek. “Historically, the government has always taken a very broad view in regard to Religious Ministries. What is needed at this time in our history is for the government to return to the previous broad definition of what a Religious Ministry actually is.
“Each faith community should be free to determine what is and what is not Religious Ministry. For example, the health care ministry, the educational ministry and the charitable ministries have been defined by Christian communities as essential to continuing the mission of Jesus Christ. Let us come and pray together, as varying communities of Faith and give a powerful witness to our love for God. Let our presence be an essential part of this witness.”
“As Catholic Christians, we are charged with being the conscience of our local communities,” said Father Tony Neusch, pastor of St. Patrick’s Church, Shamrock and Our Mother of Mercy Church, Wellington. “We have a moral responsibility to participate in the political process of the country in which we live. This is an opportunity to pray for our country and her leaders with men and women of good will.”
Additional Inter-Faith Prayer Services will be scheduled throughout the summer and early fall in the Texas Panhandle, according to Father Neusch.
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