Despite organized efforts by the Maine Catholic Diocese to overturn marriage equality laws, a local group of Catholics firmly committed to ensuring that all have the right to marry.

Jack and Rose Dougherty went to St. Rafael’s Church in Kittery that same Sunday, armed with petitions spearheaded by Catholics for Marriage Equality. They also put a note in the basket during the second collection stating they did not support the church’s action. Six other parishioners found them after Mass and signed the petition, said Jack Dougherty, people who “had called to offer support, and said, ‘We’re behind you on this. We think you’re right.’”

Dougherty said the Catholics in support of the law are organizing and the petition is a step in that direction.

The one-page, single-spaced petition titled, “God is Love,” begins: “As faithful Roman Catholics and citizens of the state of Maine, we believe that the right of every citizen to practice freedom of religion is based on the principle of respect for the dignity of each individual.”

The petition states that Catholic teaching on social justice “has been central to the building of a just society,” and added, “We remember that Roman Catholics were once denied civil rights … because of our sacred rituals.”

To learn more about the campaign to protect marriage equality in Maine, visit No on One: Protect Maine Equality.