Denver Catholic

8 MAY 28-JUNE 10, 2016 | DENVER CATHOLIC Around the Archdiocese OF GREATER DENVER AND NORTHERN COLORADO Call now for the PERMANENT SOLUTION METRO 303-816-3555 NORTHERN 970-300-5103 SINCE 2001 CO LO R A D O O W N E D A N D O P E R AT E D F O R YEARS G U T T E R H E L M E T • Made In America • Lifetime transferable warranty • No more dangerous ladders! • Keeps out leaves & debris • Prevents structural damage • Installs over new or existing gutters The First. The Best. America's #1 Choice! Over 2 MILLION FEET INSTALLED IN COLORADO! *Owner & REGIS UNIVERSITY Graduate Karl Scheib Says "We hope we can help protect your home & family too!" SPRING MADNESS SALE *Available at time of estimate only! *Maximum available discount 50% Off 3/1/16 rate card. Labor & Materials! (Offer expires 6/7/16) Up To 50 % OFF* • Made In America *Maximum available discount 50% Off 3/1/16 rate card. SPRING MADNESS BEFORE No Obligation In-Home Estimate AFTER W A S H I N G T O N PA R K D E N T A L C E N T E R 303-778-7707 | info@washparkdental.com • www.washparkdental.com Contact us today to schedule an appointment • Also offering Orthodontics 271 South Downing Street, Denver, CO 80209 New Patients Receive FREE Whitening with Initial Cleaning! T he Little Sisters of the Poo r who run Mullen Home for the Aged in Denver were praying when the U.S. Supreme Court vacated lower court rulings against them and other religious organizations who object to Obamacare's demand that they autho- rize contraceptive coverage for their ministry's employees. "We were at Mass, so I didn't fi nd out about it till I read a message [afterward] from our Mother Provincial [Loraine Marie Maguire]," said Little Sister Patricia Mary Metzgar, religious supe- rior of Mullen Home. "That was perfect timing, right?" The Supreme Court's May 16 deci- sion isn't the end of the road for the Little Sisters and their case, Zubik v. Burwell, but it did move them one step closer to getting the government to back down from insisting they pro- vide contraceptive services to women through their insurance plan. "It's a very positive outcome and we are very happy," Sister Metzgar said. "All along we were praying for a just decision for religious liberty. We are grateful for God's protection and providence." Zubik v. Burwell revolves around the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services AŸ ordable Care Act that man- dates employers to provide contracep- tive and abortifacient coverage in their insurance plans. The Little Sisters and their co-plaintiŸ s argued that doing so, even through the government's "accom- modation" via a third party, violated their religious beliefs. Refusal to comply with the mandate could force the Little Sisters to pay mil- lions of dollars in fi nes to the federal government, which could put an end to the service the nuns have given to the elderly poor for 177 years, which they fund by begging for alms. Dr. Helen Alvare of George Mason University Law School« told Catholic News Agency this week that it's still not clear what will happen next, but that the court did suggest something signifi cant in the nuns' favor—that their free exercise of religion may have been substantially burdened. According to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, "Government shall not substantially burden a per- son's exercise of religion" unless the government proves both that it has a "compelling interest" for acting and that it is using the "least restricting means" of furthering that interest.« « The court's decision may have con- fi rmed the fi rst part of the law, that the mandate is a "substantial burden," Alvare said to Catholic News Agency. "I'm hard-pressed to think that they [the court] would have allowed this case to go back, unless there were at least strong disagreement there between the justices, or even maybe a majority in favor of the idea that the Little Sisters get to decide if they're burdened," she added. Founded in France in 1839, some 2,500 Little Sisters serve 13,000 elderly poor in 195 homes worldwide, 30 in the United States. For now, Sister Metzgar is interpret- ing the developments as a win: "This decision means we can continue our work. We are grateful to Archbishop [Samuel] Aquila, the people of the Arch- diocese of Denver and so many others for their support and prayers." "We trusted in God," she said, describing the Little Sisters' bearing as they went about their work while wait- ing for the Supreme Court's decision. Good news for the Little Sisters BY ROXANNE KING editor_king@icloud.com @RoxanneIKing

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