If you live in the Diocese of Brooklyn, you don’t have to read history books to learn about the American Revolution. History is right on your doorstep. Brooklyn neighborhoods served as the backdrop of the Battle of Brooklyn on Aug. 27, 1776, — the first battle of the Revolutionary War.
On June 11, during their spring meeting in Orlando, bishops of the United States gathered at the Basilica Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe, to consecrate the United States to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The consecration celebrates America’s semiquincentennial, that is, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Here’s a musical riddle for America’s 250th anniversary: What patriotic anthem was written as a prayer by a Jewish Broadway composer, made the pop charts five times by three different Catholic artists, and inspired a legendary folk singer to write his own heartfelt ballad about America? The song is “God Bless America” by Irving Berlin.
Elizabeth Ann Seton’s family was loyal to the British during the American Revolution, so it might be surprising to learn that the future saint enjoyed connections to two of the Founding Fathers in New York City.
On the eve of the nation’s 250th birthday, the first American pope will be awarded the Liberty Medal by The National Constitution Center. The center will award the medal on July 3 to honor Pope Leo XIV for his “lifelong commitment to religious liberty and freedom of expression,” said Vince Stango, the center’s interim president and CEO.
