The Semi-Quincentennial Year of the Declaration of Independence

Jul 4

Many people will be saying many things about the significance of our nation’s 250th Anniversary. Inserted in this bulletin is Bishop O’Connell’s reflection, “America at 250: Our Shared Journey of Faith and Freedom.” It is well worth the read. Bishop O’Connell masterfully illustrates how our Catholic faith and our American history do not “stand in opposition” but rather “can and do enrich one another.” He also emphasizes the fact that the Church, “together with all people of good will, has a vital role in shaping (the) next chapter – through service, through witness, and through prayer for our country and all who call it home.”

The one voice offering congratulations that I find to be historically ironic is that of King Charles III. The 1950’s jazz vocalist Dinah Washington’s signature song was “What a Difference a Day Makes.” Well, what a difference two and half centuries make!

On April 28, 2026, in recognition of the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence sent to his five-time Great Grandfather, King George III, Charles the Third, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories, King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, became only the second British Monarch to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress. His mother was the first. Adding to the intrigue, King Charles’ Grandfather, King George VI, accompanied by his wife, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, in 1939, was the first British sovereign to set foot on America soil. They say, time heals all wounds.

In his address to Congress, King Charles recognized that he was “hard not to feel the weight of history on (his) shoulder(s), — because the modern relationship between our two nations and our own peoples spans not merely 250 years, but over four centuries.”

Beginning his speech with a bit of humor he quoted, Oscar Wilde who said, ‘We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language.' His speech continued as he eloquently spoke of the indispensable relationship between our two nations. “Ours is a partnership born out of dispute, but no less strong for it. We can discern that our nations are, in fact, instinctively like-minded – a product of the common democratic, legal and social traditions in which our governance is rooted to this day.”

The common values are, of course, democracy and a society that relies on the rule of law granting a “certainty of stable and accessible rules, an independent judiciary resolving disputes and delivering impartial justice.” King Charles referenced the English Bill of Rights (1689), and Magna Carta (1215) as having significant influence on our own Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution that guarantees the freedom of religion, speech, and the press; the right to bear arms; the restriction on the housing of soldiers during peace time; the protection from unreasonable searches and seizures; the protection of the rights to life, liberty, and property; the rights of accused persons in criminal cases; the rights in civil cases; the restrictions of excessive bail, fines, or cruel and unusual punishments; other rights kept by the people; and the undelegated powers kept by the States and the people.

Noting the difference from when his ancestor at the time of the revolution, King George III ruled, King Charles told the members of Congress that we are not ruled by “the will of one, but by the deliberation of many, representing the living mosaic of the United States.”

King Charles also spoke of the importance of his Christian faith that serves as his “firm anchor and daily inspiration that guides us not only personally, but together as members of our community.” Having spent a good part of his life developing interfaith relationships he also noted the commonality of “the triumph of light over darkness.” Remembering he addressed Congress in April he said, “I am mindful that we are still in the season of Easter, the season that most strengthens my hope. It is why I believe, with all my heart, that the essence of our two nations is a generosity of spirit and a duty to foster compassion, to promote peace, to deepen mutual understanding, and to value all people, of all faiths, and of none.”

Speaking of the present-day joint efforts between our two nations he said, “We do not embark on these remarkable endeavors together out of sentiment. We do so because they build greater shared resilience for the future, so making our citizens safer for generations to come.”

In his first inaugural address, George Washington said that this new model of government is “staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” With two and half centuries between us there are intrinsic challenges to truly comprehend the seismic shift included in this experiment to move from a monarchy to a self-governing republic.

There is no doubt that we have been blessed by the courageous and enlightened founders of our country. As we honor the 250 years that have passed, we must continue to be attentive to those values, desires, and aspirations that gave birth to our nation as we pray and work together “in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity,” (from the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution)

May we all know God’s peace and all good and may God continue to bless America.