On June 24, John LeVoir, former bishop of the Diocese of New Ulm, shared his thoughts on Twitter regarding the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. This annual celebration occurs on that day.

“St. John the Baptist is a model of uprightness and courage in defending the truth, for which he was prepared to pay in his person, even to the point of imprisonment and death (St. John Paul II),” he said in his tweet. 

This annual celebration holds a special place during the Religious Freedom Week, when it is held. St. John the Baptist is highly revered within the Church for his pivotal role in preparing the path for the arrival of Jesus, according to Learn Religions. 

John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin and the son of Elizabeth and Zachariah, played a significant role in baptisms and preaching about forgiveness. He is recognized as a prophet and tragically met his death by beheading prior to Jesus' crucifixion, according to Angel Studios. Within the Catholic Church, the Nativity of John the Baptist holds a special place as one of the three birthdays celebrated, alongside the birthdays of Jesus and His mother, Mary. 

"He's a tremendously towering figure in our Christian faith," Cardinal Timothy Dolan said in a message on The Good News Room. "Jesus Himself said 'a greater man, born of woman, there never was in John the Baptist.' Hey, that's a pretty good compliment coming from the Son of God. So we honor St. John the Baptist, he was the cousin of our Lord, he slept in the womb. Remember, when the blessed Virgin Mary visited his mother, and he was in her womb, and so happy was he to know that the Messiah, Jesus, Our Savior, had come.” 

Other feast days during Religious Freedom Week, which runs annually June 22 through 29, include the feast of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, and feast of St. Peter and Paul, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. 

"John the Baptist wanted to think like Jesus and see the world through his eyes, trying always to follow his example and teachings," Archbishop Jose Gomez of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles tweeted June 24. "Let’s ask for the grace to follow his example, to try to imitate Christ and share the beauty of his life and teachings with the people around us.”