By Pat Shea
Sun associate editor

On June 6, Hillary Byrnes, Esq., Assistant General Counsel for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and lead staff to the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, will address the Diocese of Syracuse Catholic Lawyers Guild to discuss updates concerning religious liberties litigation on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate issued under the Affordable Care Act. This mandate requires all employer health plans, (with exception of those provided by a house of worship) to provide free contraceptives, abortion-inducing drugs and sterilizations regardless of moral or religious objections by family, profit or non-profit organizations. This topic is considered to be of such importance that attorneys, experienced and newly admitted, in attendance at Byrnes’ discussion will receive a New York State Continuing Law Education 1.0 law practice management credit.

   “Religious liberty is the first liberty granted by God and is protected by the First Amendment,” said Byrnes. “It’s our first freedom and it involves more than our ability to go to Mass or pray the rosary — it’s the ability to exercise our faith in service to the common good.”

    “There are about 60 lawsuits challenging the HHS mandate for all types of entities, not just diocesan entities or Catholic entities, but other non-profit and for-profit entities. This isn’t just a Catholic issue. It affects people of any faith, or even no faith at all,” said Byrnes. “It is important to our country to protect religious liberty. The United States was founded on this principle, and it is enshrined in our Constitution. It’s a foundational cultural issue as well as a religious issue.”

St. James’ Peace and Justice Committee buyback program swaps weapons for gift cards

By Deacon Tom Picciano
Sun contributing writer
 
   JOHNSON CITY — Someone turned in a sawed-off shotgun with the ID number filed off during the fourth “Groceries for Guns” day held May 11 at St. James Church. Organizer Jack Gilroy, co-chair of the parish’s Peace and Justice Committee, said that was the most unusual find as guns and ammunition were traded for grocery store gift cards.

   In all, 51 guns were turned over to the waiting Broome County Sheriff’s deputies. There were 18 long guns, including shotguns and rifles; 31 handguns; and two assault weapons. Several bags of ammunition were also brought to the event.  

   The group had more than $2,500 to spend on the buyback, with money coming from members of the committee and St. James Parish. They gave $50 for handguns and long guns and $100 for assault rifles.

   “For those of us in Peace and Justice, we believe the Christian message is love and justice, not killing. Guns are for killing,” Gilroy emphasized.

By Katherine Long
Sun editor

The diocesan Office of Social Action Ministry is looking for a few good men and women to volunteer in its new veterans outreach program.

   “Statistics tell us that thousands of [physically] wounded veterans are with us in our communities, that there were more military suicides than combat deaths in 2012, that something around 20 percent of percent [of soldiers] are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with some degree of post-traumatic stress disorder and that an obscene percentage of women in the military have been sexually assaulted,” said Paul Welch, diocesan director of social action ministry, referencing statistics widely reported by media sources. “That’s all pretty overwhelming. As Christians, it’s nothing short of an obligation to reach out to people who have been in these war zones and to help them to recover.”