March 20, 2022

Dear St. Martin of Tours Family and Friends,

In these terrifying times, Catholics around the world were given a new hope when Pope Francis announced on March 15 that he would consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary this coming Friday, March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation.

To celebrate this event, our parish will participate in this consecration by performing the Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at the precise same time the Pope will be doing so in Rome. I invite you to come to the church and to pray this consecration together with me, this coming Friday, March 25 at 11:00 a.m.

Why is this so important? And—if indeed Pope St. John Paul II’s consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart was accepted by heaven in 1984—why is a reconsecration of   Russia of value?

The word “consecration” means “to set aside for sacred use.” When we make a personal consecration, we allow Our Lady to set us aside for her sacred use. Since the Pope has universal spiritual jurisdiction over the whole world (“Whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven”), he has the authority to consecrate nations. So this upcoming consecration will show that we, her children, desire that Our Lady will make sacred use of Russia and Ukraine to show her glory.

Since Mary is the Queen of Peace, you can see why having her intervene is so important at this time!

And why a reconsecration? This is like asking why we should pray for things more than once. Every new public acknowledgment of the special role of Our Lady is a powerful invitation to heaven, to Our Lady and to the Trinity specifically, to show her great power to change the course of human history. If anyone can change   human history it is Our Lady whose words “let it be done unto me according to your will” allowed God the Son to take human flesh for the redemption of our sins and thereby changed the course of history.

Because grace has to be received by the human heart, we ought not expect the world to change March 25. There will indeed be a great outpouring of grace on March 25. However, human freedom and free will is not abrogated. So we must pray that all humans, most especially those who have embraced atheism, socialism, globalism, transhumanism, and evil will be receptive to this outpouring of grace!

And let us pray for ourselves and those in our care that indeed all of us will receive this great gift of the grace about to be given through the intercession of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart!

May Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart Triumph! Thy Kingdom Come!