PORTLAND, Maine — Archbishop Jose Gomez, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Archbishop of Los Angeles, has invited all U.S. bishops to join him in renewing the consecration of the U.S. to the Blessed Virgin Mary in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The renewal is timed to coincide with the bishops of Canada renewing the consecration of their own country to Mary at the same time.
Through a collective dedication or entrustment of a nation to Mary, an act of consecration is meant to be a reminder to the faithful of the Blessed Mother’s witness to the Gospel and to ask for her effective intercession before her Son on behalf of those in need. Bishop John Carroll of Baltimore, the first bishop of the United States, promoted devotion to Mary, the Mother of God, and placed the United States under her protection in a pastoral letter of 1792.
From Maine, Bishop Robert Deeley will participate virtually in the prayer service scheduled for Friday, May 1, at 3 p.m. (EDT). A liturgy guide will be available to assist the faithful who may join in by tuning into the USCCB’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/usccb) at that time.
The prayer service will also be broadcast live on EWTN-TV and Relevant Radio affiliates, including 106.7 FM in Portland, 105.7 FM in Springvale/Sanford, 97.5 FM in Fort Kent, 90.3 FM in Bangor, 89.7 FM in Bath/Brunswick, 89.5 FM in Augusta, and 1390 AM in northern Maine; at www.relevantradio.com/listen; or on smartphones by downloading the Relevant Radio app.
“I invite all of the faithful in Maine to join me in prayer on Friday at 3 p.m. in this special prayer of intercession to Mary, the Mother of the Church, for strength in this struggle against COVID-19,” said Bishop Deeley. “We continue to live in the crisis that the novel coronavirus has brought to us. We are very mindful as we do so of the uncertainty and suffering that it has caused in the lives of so many people in our diocese and our world.”
The renewal of consecration does not change the designation of Mary as the Patroness of the United States under the title of the Immaculate Conception. Rather, this prayer reaffirms and renews previous Marian entrustments, and unites us in solidarity with our Holy Father, who recently established the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, as a source of protection and strength. Each year, the Church seeks the special intercession of the Mother of God during the month of May.
“This will give the Church the occasion to pray for Our Lady’s continued protection of the vulnerable, healing of the unwell, and wisdom for those who work to cure this terrible virus,” said Archbishop Gomez in a letter to the U.S. bishops. “This year, we seek the assistance of Our Lady all the more earnestly as we face together the effects of the global pandemic.”
Submitted by the communications office of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland.
