Happy Independence Day!

A happy Independence Day to all our American readers (and to our non-American readers who are celebrating with us)! As we spend time with our friends and families today, attend parades and watch the traditional fireworks displays, let us also take a moment to give thanks for the blessings we enjoy in the United States. This land was first consecrated by the blood of the missionaries who gave their lives that the Faith might be planted in the New World, and throughout the history of the USA, many men and women have labored, fought and died so that the home of the brave might remain the land of the free. Let us honor their sacrifices today and pray for our country, which has been under such severe spiritual attack in recent times. Prayer is certainly the most powerful weapon we can bring to such a fight, so let us beseech Our Lady, the Patroness of the United States, to defend and protect this land, and make of us a people well-pleasing to her Son.

The United States has proven to be fertile ground for the work of the Fraternity, which runs 55 apostolates in 41 American dioceses, in addition to a seminary that is brimming with vocations. We have also been entrusted with the care of several extraordinary pieces of American history, such as the National Shrine of St. Alphonsus Liguori in Baltimore, where St. John Neumann, the first American bishop (the first male citizen, in fact) to be canonized, served as pastor and was consecrated the fourth Bishop of Philadelphia. We thank God today for the success He has granted to us in the United States, and ask Him to bless our future work in these abundant vineyards. +