Independence Day Letter

 Sacred Worth, Shared Freedom

A Pastoral Letter for the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (sic) are created equal, that they are endowed

by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit

of Happiness. From the Declaration of Independence, July 4 th , 1776

Beloved People of God and Dear Fellow Americans,

As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the founding document of our great nation,

we find ourselves standing at a sacred intersection of gratitude, memory, repentance and hope.

This significant occasion absolutely invites celebration, but not a shallow celebration that ignores

the wounds of history or the struggles of the present. It calls us to give thanks for the promise of

liberty while also asking whether that promise has been shared fully, protected faithfully, and

extended courageously to all citizens and those who desire to become US citizens.

As Reformed Catholics and US citizens, we approach this national milestone with both love and

honesty. We give thanks for the ideals that have inspired generations: equality, liberty,

democracy, freedom of conscience, and the conviction that government must be accountable to

the people. We give thanks for the countless persons who have crossed oceans, borders, deserts,

and generations of struggle to help build this nation. We give thanks for immigrants who chose

this country, workers who sustained it, veterans who served it, teachers who formed it,

organizers who challenged it, and ordinary people whose daily faithfulness has helped America

become more fully itself.

Yet mature love does not require denial. True patriotism is not the claim that one’s country is

“great” or perfect. True patriotism is caring enough to help a nation become its best self,

starting with our neighbors and the least among us. The American story contains courage and

contradiction, beauty and brutality, aspiration and exclusion. Our Declaration of Independence

spoke of equality while slavery remained protected. The nation praised liberty while Indigenous

peoples were displaced, Black people were enslaved and segregated, women were denied full

civic participation, immigrants were scapegoated and workers were exploited.

This anniversary therefore cannot be only a happy birthday party for our nation. It must

also be an examination of conscience.

The promise of America has always been larger than America’s practice. Throughout these past

250 years, abolitionists, suffragists, civil rights leaders, labor organizers, Indigenous people,

immigrants, disability rights advocates, LGBTQIA+ activists, clergy, faith communities and

various movements for justice have insisted that liberty must become more than a word spoken

by the powerful. It must become a lived reality for those most at risk.

Our faith compels us to say clearly: Every person is sacred. Every life has inherent worth and

dignity. Freedom is not truly freedom when it is selective. Democracy cannot survive if some

people are treated as disposable, dangerous, invisible or less worthy of protection.

In this moment, we are especially mindful of LGBTQIA+ persons, particularly transgender and

gender-expansive people, who are facing escalating rhetoric, public humiliation, legal attacks,

threats to health care, and spiritual violence disguised as religious conviction. We bishops and

religious leaders reject every effort to use faith as a weapon against God’s beloved, in the

United States and everywhere.

We are mindful of immigrants, migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and undocumented neighbors

who have too often been unjustly targeted, detained, separated from families, denied due

process, or treated as threats rather than human beings. Many came to the USA seeking safety,

work, freedom, and/or a future for their children. Their dignity is not diminished by their

paperwork or lack thereof. Their humanity is not subject to political convenience. A nation built

by immigrants must never forget the sacred courage of those who journey in hope.

We are mindful of the unhoused and housing-insecure, who are often criminalized for poverty

rather than sheltered with compassion. No person or family should be treated as a public

nuisance because they lack a safe place to sleep. The measure of a society is not found in how

comfortably the powerful live, but in whether the vulnerable are protected, housed, fed and seen.

We are mindful of Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander and other individuals or

communities harmed by racism and white supremacy. We are mindful of people with disabilities

whose freedom requires accessibility and inclusion. We are mindful of workers denied fair

wages, health care, safety and rest. We are mindful of women and all people whose bodily

autonomy and health care are threatened. We are mindful of religious minorities and people of

no religious affiliation who deserve freedom of conscience without coercion by Christian

nationalists or any other form of religious domination. We are mindful of those impacted by

addiction, incarceration, mental illness, violence, and social abandonment.

The Declaration of Independence’s promise must be measured not by how it sounds in

ceremonies or sound bites, but by how it protects the people who are most easily ignored.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ does not permit us and our fellow Christians to separate prayer from

public responsibility. Jesus did not proclaim good news as an abstraction. He touched bodies, fed

crowds, welcomed outcasts, confronted hypocrisy, and announced liberation to those held

captive by systems of exclusion and fear.

Therefore, on this 250th anniversary of the founding document of democracy in the USA

and elsewhere, we call the Reformed Catholic Church and all Catholic/Christian churches

to renewed public witness.

We call our parishes, missions, clergy, lay leaders, and communities to create visibly safe and

affirming spaces where all people can bring their whole authentic selves before God. “Welcome”

must be more than a word on a sign; It must be embodied in language, leadership, pastoral care,

worship, education, accessibility and courageous advocacy.

We call our faith communities to practice trauma-informed ministry. Many who come to the

Church carry wounds from domestic violence, racism, poverty, family separation, homo- or

transphobia, religious condemnation and/or social abandonment. Trauma-informed care is not

an optional skill for pastors. It is a moral and spiritual imperative.

We call all people of faith in the USA to resist the aberration of Christian nationalism and every

ideology that confuses domination with discipleship. No nation or political party “owns” the

Gospel. Our loyalty to Christ requires us to seek the common good, defend the vulnerable, tell the

truth, and refuse the temptation to turn the Gospel or our faith into a tool of exclusion.

We call all people of conscience to defend democracy by defending human dignity. Voting rights,

free expression, public education, access to health care, immigrant justice, housing justice, racial

justice, labor rights, reproductive health, LGBTQIA+ and marriage equality, and freedom of

conscience are not isolated concerns. They are woven together in the fabric of a society that

either honors its citizens’ sacred worth or betrays it.

We call our communities to embrace joy as resistance. Movements for justice cannot survive on

outrage alone. Pride, music, worship, friendship, shared meals, storytelling, recreation and

celebration are not distractions from liberation. They are signs that fear has not won. Joy declares

that the people whom hatred has tried to erase are still here, still beloved, and still building a

hopeful future.

We also call for rest, nourishment, and healing. The work before us is great, but urgency must not

consume the bodies and spirits of those who labor for justice. Rest is resistance. Healing is holy.

Community care is part of the work of freedom.

As we remember 250 years of the American story, we do so with gratitude for what has been

noble, repentance for what has been harmful, and hope for what remains possible. The American

experiment is unfinished, but it is still worth believing in when we are willing to tell the truth,

repair what has been broken, and widen the circle of belonging.

The next chapter of this nation will not be written by nostalgia; it will be written by the choices

we make now. It will be written in how we treat the immigrant at the border, the transgender

child in the classroom, the unhoused neighbor on the street, the worker without a living wage,

the impoverished family seeking health care, the vulnerable elder person living alone, the person

being released from prison, those who have been impacted by gun violence, and every person

whose dignity may be debated by others but is already known to God.

This is our charge. This is our sacred work. This is the freedom we are called to share.

May God bless the citizens of these United States of America with truth, humility, courage and

compassion. May God strengthen us to love our country honestly, serve our neighbors faithfully,

and build a future where liberty is not the privilege of some but the birthright of all.

Given by the Bishops and Board of Directors of the Reformed Catholic Church

July 4 th , 2026