OWINGS, Md. – Catholic young adults gathered together on Saturday to celebrate religious liberties at the “Fortnight for Freedom” music and wine festival in Owings, Md. The event, held at Fridays Creek Winery, attracted 130 Catholic young adults from the areas of D.C., Va., and Md. The music and wine festival was organized by the Young Adult Ministry of the Archdiocese of Washington.
The U.S. bishops’ “Fortnight for Freedom” effort is a campaign to promote awareness of religious liberties through prayer, celebration, and service activities.
The campaign is a response to the Health and Human Services mandate that require religious employers to provide birth control to employees. The two week effort will conclude on the Fourth of July at Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.
Performances at the music and wine festival were given by Catholic singers Maria Spears and Kevin Heider, who performed renditions of modern alternative songs along with their own original works. The young adults spent time sampling local wines, touring art exhibits, and playing games during the summer evening.
The music and wine festival was part of a series of “Fortnight for Freedom” events organized by the Young Adult Ministry of the Archdiocese of Washington. Stephanie Jaczkowska, a young adult parishioner at St. Peter’s on Capitol Hill, said “I think the whole archdiocese is doing a really great job…” “They’re fighting for religious freedom, not necessarily just one political movement or ideology…it’s really important as Catholics to take a stand.”
