The HHS Mandate, the Catholic Church, and Religious Liberty

Credo Advisory Board member Msgr. Michael Witt gave a presentation at St. Monica's on Tuesday 3-July titled "The HHS Mandate, the Catholic Church, and Religious Liberty". Unfortunately there is no audio recording as Msgr. Witt had some witty comments and the Q&A session was lively. Attendees had asked Msgr. Witt whether his slides would be posted on the Internet someplace, and Credo volunteered. Click here for the slides in PDF Format.

Here's a sample from Msgr. Witt's talk: the coat of arms here belong to St. Louis Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick who urged all the priests of the diocese to refuse to take the oath imposed by the Missouri Constitution of 1865 following the Civil War. The Latin Motto is Noli irritare leonem! which means "Don't irritate the lion!" It seems Catholic bishops in Missouri have a long history of opposing the depredations of government against the liberty of the Church. We must have another lecture from Msgr Witt about this episode and the history of anti-Catholicism in Missouri generally.
For any newcomers to Credo: if you liked Fr. Witt's talk, we have four talks like this a year, usually in Clayton. Our subject matter is eclectic, but we take an  analytical approach to our topics like Msgr. Witt did. Click here for the 2012 lineup. This next Forum is going to be a little different though. Actor Kevin O'Brien will play the part of Hiliare Belloc and deliver a rousing address in Belloc's own words. Kevin has his own EWTN series called Theater of the Word. You may have seen him also on EWTN playing various roles in the series The Apostle of Common Sense, and if you're a real Catholic Media geek, you may also have heard him as The Voice of Authority on our local Catholic radio station at Covenant Networks. Watch for the announcement.

Speaking of, you can sign up for Credo's e-newsletter by clicking here, and you'll get our announcements. You can also "like" our Facebook Page and accomplish about the same thing. Either way, we hope you'll share with friends who might be interested in what we're doing. And of course we'd love for you to become an annual member of Credo and help support terrific Catholic programs in St. Louis. You'll get a discount on the Forums and receive a newsletter in the mail four times a year.