On July 4, 2026, the United States of America will celebrate its 250th anniversary. This event will resonate in every corner of the land, but it has special significance for us in the Premier See, the Archdiocese of Baltimore. We are linked to this event both by history and by the virtue of patriotism.
The history is well known. Charles Carroll, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, was a prominent Marylander. His cousin was John Carroll, who became the first bishop of Baltimore. John Carroll’s brother, Daniel, signed both the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution and was among the first Marylanders elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Annapolis hosted the Second Continental Congress (1776-77) and was briefly the nation’s capital. In 1783, in the Old Senate Chamber of the Maryland State House, George Washington resigned his commission.
Our archdiocese, the first in the United States, was created at the same time as the foundations of our nation were being set in place. The U.S. Constitution was signed Sept. 17, 1787, and went into effect March 4, 1789. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Baltimore was established by Pope Pius VI Nov. 6, 1789 and became an archdiocese in 1808.
Archbishop John Carroll knew many of the founders and understood their aspirations. It fell to him to chart the course of the Catholic Church in a new nation that eschewed established religion, but instead recognized freedom of religion as a God-given right. This was no easy task. In spite of the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom, anti-Catholicism was in the air. So also, the Vatican authorities were wary of religious freedom, fearing it would lead to indifferentism. Archbishop Carroll proceeded with a wisdom and restraint that served well the cause of democracy and the cause of religious liberty.
We rightly celebrate the founding of the United States as well as the important role played both by the State of Maryland and by the then-newly established Diocese of Baltimore. But let our memory not be selective. Our nation was established as a land of promise but, as we know, it falls to every generation to make that promise a reality for all. So too, our Church must constantly undergo purification and renewal if it would be a brightly shining light in our culture.
Here is where the virtue of patriotism, love of country, comes in. The celebrations about to take place should not obscure the challenges that still lay before us. It is painfully evident that, at present, our political culture is deeply wounded. Polarization, ideological extremes, even political violence have reared their ugly heads. Divisions are nothing new in America but these days, we seem far less able and far less inclined to talk through our differences, to seek common ground, to pursue human dignity and common good, and to find a civic friendship and unity that underlies the debates and differences that are part and parcel of an open and democratic society.
That is why last February I published a pastoral letter titled “In Charity and Truth – Toward a Renewed Political Culture.” It is not a voter guide or a restatement of Catholic social teaching, but a reflection on what we can do as a community of faith to repair and strengthen our shared political life. If you haven’t already, I’d invite you to read it and to discuss it with family members, friends and fellow parishioners. As a help to further discussion, I also published a study guide.
With that I wish all of you a very happy 4th of July and may God bless America!
Read the archbishop’s pastoral letter at tinyurl.com/in-charity-and-truth
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