First established by the Thomas Jefferson Institute for the Study of Religious Freedom during the 1976 U.S. bicentennial and later assumed by the Knights of Columbus Rappahannock Assembly 1613, the city has come together to commemorate the bill and Jefferson’s role in preserving religious freedom in a ceremony for all faiths at the Religious Freedom Monument on Washington Avenue. The event is attended by more than one hundred participants. The appropriate ceremony includes a parade, the laying of a wreath, a benediction and a keynote speech.

Often, the parade is led by the Knights of Columbus, followed by groups such as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Lutheran Church and members of the local Masonic lodge. Members of all faiths are invited to carry a banner identifying their affiliation and showing support for religious freedom.

The event symbolizes the healthy dialogue and relationships that exist between the city’s different religious groups. Each year, the mayor of Fredericksburg issues an official proclamation recognizing the statute.

Proclamation example:

Whereas, It was in the Town of Fredericksburg, in the month of January 1777, that Thomas Jefferson first presented his Statute for Religious Freedom to a committee of revisors of the Laws of Virginia to make them conform in letter and spirit to the Declaration of Independence: and Whereas, the Statute was passed January 16, 1786, by the Virginia General Assembly and in March 1789 became the basis for the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America: and Whereas, still in force, the Statute as the most liberal in the world, guarantees to every citizen freedom of belief and expression, and has since inspired millions of people everywhere: and Whereas, recognizing the importance of this document in view of the current secular and religious discussions, and carrying out the desire of its author that what he had done for the people be duly remembered. Now, therefore, I, Lawrence A. Davies, Mayor of the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia, do hereby proclaim this day as Religious Freedom Day.