Catholics must reclaim Sunday as a holy day, dedicated to the Lord and to family, said Bishop Robert Baker of Charleston in a Feb. 9 letter to pastors.

Bishop Baker issued the letter as an example of how to concretely begin celebrating 2007 as the Year of the Family. The bishop declared 2007 the Year of the Family in the diocese, and the community is invited to attend several diocesan and parish events that will be organized in this regard.

In his letter, the leader of South Carolina’s Catholics challenged the status quo of using Sunday as merely another work day. He called for the restoration of “Sunday as a gift from the Father for the family.”

He offered examples of how to do this, such as refraining from work, shopping and “any private activity that conflicts with prayer or family involvement on a Sunday.”