This Friday, March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, Pope Francis will consecrate both Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary; he has asked all of the bishops in the entire world to do so in tandem with him, ideally at the same hour.
Here in the Diocese of Madison, I will be celebrating a special Mass at 11 a.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Monona, at the end of which I will do the consecratory prayer as well. I invite everyone in the diocese to join me for this remarkable moment of prayer and dedication.
Help for Ukraine
We have all been horrified, frustrated, angry, and concerned for the terrible tragedy unfolding in Ukraine, as thousands of people have been killed, wounded, and displaced because of the evil and unjust military invasion of their country by Putin.
We have collected money, offered prayers, planned to welcome refugees, but still feel fundamentally powerless in the face of such horrific violence and brazen evil.
Only the power, grace, and love of Jesus Christ, mediated through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, can ultimately stop and heal this terror. Through this Marian consecration, the pope is calling on Jesus and His Blessed Mother to stop the violence and bring peace.
The message of Fatima
This consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a response to the request of the Blessed Mother at Fatima in 1917, the year that the Russian Bolshevik Revolution erupted, as World War I raged and the Spanish flu epidemic was spreading.
In the midst of such profound, global suffering, Mary appeared to Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco, three shepherd children outside the small village of Fatima, Portugal.
From May to October 1917, the Virgin Mary spoke to the children on the 13th of each month, promising that God would grant peace to the entire world if Her requests for prayer, reparation, and consecration were heard and obeyed. She especially emphasized the effectiveness of the daily Rosary as a means of achieving world peace.
Mary revealed three “secrets” at Fatima to the children, including a terrifying vision of hell, the prediction of World War II if people did not convert their hearts to the Lord, and a vision of the martyrdom of a bishop in white along with other Christians, as they ascended a mountain together.
This third “secret” was only revealed by the Vatican in 2000, with many people interpreting its meaning as a foreshadowing of the attempted murder of St. John Paul II, which occurred on May 13, 1981, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima.
Mary also asked that the Holy Father consecrate Russia to Her Immaculate Heart, promising that Russia would be converted from the errors of communism if this was done.
Several popes have done this consecration over the years, including Pius XII, St. John Paul II, and Pope Francis. Sister Lucia, the long-lived seer of Fatima, attested that the consecration done by St. John Paul II satisfied Heaven’s request.
Timely message
The message of Fatima is as timely and urgent for us today, as it ever was.
Prayer, conversion, compassion, charity, and the full practice of the Faith are the means at our disposal to help extend the Kingdom of God in this world.
In the face of so much violence, war, poverty, disrespect for life — beginning in the womb and extending to every strata of society — as well as the breakdown of marriage, family, and sexual morality, we must turn to Mary and Her Son, calling on the power of Christ to heal, convert, and save the world anew.
We live in dramatic and challenging times. It feels like a great sifting is occurring, as we face unprecedented societal shifts, the global suffering of the pandemic, the continuation of war and violence, economic turbulence, and political paralysis.
The only solution to our profound troubles is a fundamental and enduring turn towards the Lord, a conversion of heart which the Scriptures, the sacraments, prayer, and virtue will both bring about and sustain.
I remain profoundly hopeful, as we set out on the path of evangelization with Go Make Disciples, as I see fruit all over the diocese, born from the efforts of our priests, Religious, deacons and lay leaders, as we boldly envision the future, as God continues to work His purposes out.
We consecrate ourselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary this week, even as we join the Holy Father in consecrating Russia and the Ukraine. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us and intercede with your Son to bring peace to this wounded world.