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| YOUR TOWN: Caroline | Culpeper | King George | Fredericksburg | Orange | Spotsylvania | Stafford | Westmoreland | |
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Celebrating our religious freedom
Events on week of Jan. 14 will celebrate Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, drafted in Fredericksburg 230 years ago
Date published: 1/6/2007
By KELLY HANNON Religious freedom wasn't always an unalienable right in America. Colonists may have fled here to escape persecution abroad, but religious freedom wasn't protected until well after the American Revolution. Thomas Jefferson and others worked to draft the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom while meeting in Fredericksburg in 1777. Virginia's statute, enacted in 1786, separated church and state and gave equal status to all faiths. It became the basis for the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving all Americans the freedom to practice their religion or none at all. This year marks the 230th anniversary of the writing of Virginia's Statute of Religious Freedom. Fredericksburg's religious, civic and educational institutions have planned a celebration to mark the milestone. Events begin Sunday, Jan. 14, with a downtown religious freedom parade and ceremony sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. Members of all faiths are encouraged to attend, said Jim Berry, Religious Freedom Day coordinator, Knights of Columbus, Rappahannock Assembly 1613. The Knights have organized the observance at the monument for many years. Berry said they have personally invited people of faith across the spectrum. "We've tried to reach out to as many non-Christian groups as we can locate to come join us," he said. The parade starts at 1:30 p.m. at the downtown train station and will end at the Monument for Religious Freedom on Washington Avenue, where the ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. "When I came to Fredericksburg five or six years ago, I didn't know Thomas Jefferson had written a religious freedom act for Virginia. So I think the event is about education, as well as celebration, of what he did," Berry said. Everyone is welcome to join the parade, which will follow Caroline Street to Amelia Street to Washington Avenue. Marchers should be in place at 1 p.m. The keynote speaker at the ceremony is Virginia House Speaker Bill Howell, R-Stafford County. Past speakers have included Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia and the Rev. Louis V. Iasiello, former chief of chaplains for the U.S. Navy, and president of Washington Theological Union.
Date published: 1/6/2007
CPR
(posted by
cvasey
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
It is not quite accurate to say that the Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion (CPR) is seeking donations. We co-sponsor the events with the Fredericksburg Council on the Virginia Statute for Freedom of Religion (contact person: Bill Beck). CPR and UMW provide support through a variety of sources of funding; the Fbrg Council is private citizens and supporters who also support the events. UMW can receive donations on their behalf through the UMW Foundation. I would be glad to explain further.
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