Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz will preside at a Holy Hour for the Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Friday, March 25, beginning at 11:00 a.m. in the Cathedral of Saint Peter the Apostle.
This local celebration is in solidarity with Pope Francis’ Consecration of Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at 5:00 p.m. Rome time. Bishop Kopacz invites all priests, deacons and laity to the Cathedral next Friday to participate in solidarity with Pope Francis and the faithful around the world, especially in Ukraine and Russia.
The Holy Hour will include Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Rosary and the Prayer of Consecration from Pope Francis. Mass for the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord will be celebrated immediately following the Holy Hour and Consecration.
In a letter to the world's bishops, Pope Francis wrote, “This Act of Consecration is meant to be a gesture of the universal Church, which in this dramatic moment lifts up to God, through his Mother and ours, the cry of pain of all those who suffer and implore an end to the violence, and to entrust the future of our human family to the Queen of Peace.”
“I ask you to join in this Act by inviting the priests, religious and faithful to assemble in their churches and places of prayer on 25 March, so that God’s Holy People may raise a heartfelt and choral plea to Mary our Mother.”
In the letter the Holy Father included the text he will use in the consecration, “I am sending you the text of the prayer of consecration, so that all of us can recite it throughout that day, in fraternal union.”