‘Free to Speak’

SWARTSWOOD  On Palm Sunday, Confirmation candidates of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OLMC) Parish here heard from teens like them, who had experienced attempts to muffle their religious expression in public school. Those stories were part of a short video they watched that delivers an eye-opening message: that public schools are not “God-free” zones and that students and teachers have the right to express their faith, as protected by the U.S. Constitution and U.S. Department of Education guidelines.

Since early this year, members of the Knights of Columbus Don Bosco Council No. 7784 have traveled around the Diocese showing this video, “Free to Speak” — created by Catholics for Freedom of Religion in Long Island, N.Y. — to Confirmation students and their parents and guardians at their parishes, like at OLMC. In the nine-minute video, the students of a Catholic high school on Long Island, who filmed it, inform viewers of their rights of religious expression in public school, according to the U.S. Department of Education. It also features the story of a public school honor student who was warned not to thank God in his graduation speech by school administration, who then tried to turn off his microphone at the ceremony.

“This fantastic video enables kids to talk to kids about what they can do to express their faith — of all religious beliefs — at appropriate times and in appropriate and non-threatening ways,” said Rich Matrisciano of the Knights of Columbus, who has been traveling with Bob Shaud, a fellow Knight. They have been showing the video to high-school freshmen and sophomores, followed by a question-and-answer session. “When you take God out of school, you take the good out as well,” he said.

Sitting in OLMC’s parish center this past Sunday evening, the Confirmation students and their parents and guardians learned about the following religious liberties that public school students and teachers enjoy:

• They can pray and/or read their Bibles or other religious materials and talk about religion in school.

• They can organize prayer groups and religious clubs and announce their meetings.

• They can express their faith in their classwork and homework.

• They may be permitted to travel off campus for religious studies during school hours.

• They can express their faith at school events, including their graduation ceremonies.

That night at OLMC, the Knights distributed two pamphlets — “Free to Speak” by Gateways to Better Education and another by Catholics for Freedom of Religion, which urged students, who encounter situations regarding religious expression, to go to their parents for guidance.

“The men who drafted the U.S. Constitution established the guarantee of the exercise of religious freedom through the First Amendment. Today, that protection is as important as ever. In too many instances, public-school educators do not have a clear understanding of the freedom of religious expression guaranteed to students in the United States,” Catholics for Freedom of Religion writes in its pamphlet. “When you understand the religious liberties of all students, you can be an example to friends and classmates of how to live and express your faith responsibly. Be sure to exercise your freedom in a non-disruptive way and always respect the rights of others to express their faith,” it states.

The short video replaces a longer, 20-minute slide presentation that Matrisciano and Shaud brought around to parishes starting last year. Matrisciano helped found Faith, Family and Freedom, an organization based in the Diocese that was dedicated to preserving religious freedom. After the group disbanded, he asked the Don Bosco Council to form a committee dedicated to religious liberty. Matrisciano also reached out to Barbara Samuells, founder of Catholics for Freedom of Religion of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, N.Y.

“God has been taken out of school. Society has convinced people that religion has no place in school. Some teachers and administrators deny religious liberties out of prejudice or an abundance of caution,” said Samuells, who noted that many parents who attend these presentations are surprised to learn about their rights. “We want to be lanterns of truth for the rights of religious freedom.”

Matrisciano and Shaud sought interest in “Free to Speak” from nearby pastors and approval from Bishop Serratelli and attended a training session about how to present the material at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception on Long Island.

At the OLMC presentation, John Zappe, who leads Catholic Campus Ministry at Sussex County Community College, Newton, encouraged the students to live out their faith — difficult in this increasingly secular world. They can deepen their faith by attending Mass, seeking a community of like followers, reading the Bible and reputable books and online resources and live and love like Jesus, Zappe said.

At the end of the presentation last Sunday, Father Abuchi Nwosu, OLMC’s pastor, thanked the Knights for “delivering this message to the students very simply.”

“Wherever you are, fight for religious freedom,” Father Nwosu told the participants.

Afterward, Nicole Vassallo, a sophomore at Kittatinny Regional High School, Newton, reported to The Beacon that her school does not seem to have any issues with religious expression.

“I have not experienced it personally. It’s horrible if there are schools that make students stay silent about their faith,” said Vassallo. “This has made me more aware of it and made me think about it.”

[Schedule a presentation of “Free to Speak” by sending an email to Matrisciano at [email protected].]