Bishops Of U.S., Canada Will Consecrate Their Nations To Mary Friday

Washington (CNS)—Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, has announced the U.S. bishops will join the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops Friday in consecrating the two nations to the care of the Blessed Mother under the title "Mary, Mother of the Church."
 
Bishop Patrick J. Zurek will join his brother bishops in this reconsecration, with two services on Friday at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Amarillo: in English at noon and in Spanish at 1:30. The services are closed to the public and will be livestreamed on the diocesan website, www.amarillodiocese.org/live and archived afterward on the diocesan website and on the Diocese of Amarillo YouTube page.
 
"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. Each year, the church seeks the special intercession of the Mother of God during the month of May.
 
"This year, we seek the assistance of Our Lady all the more earnestly as we face together the effects of the global pandemic," he said.
           
This consecration reaffirms the bishops' previous consecrations of the United States to Mary. In 1792, the first bishop of the United States, Bishop John Carroll, consecrated the nation to Mary under the title Immaculate Conception, and in 1846, the bishops unanimously chose Mary under that title as the patroness of the nation.
           
In 1959, Cardinal Patrick O'Boyle of Washington again consecrated the United States to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This was the year when construction of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington was completed. The national shrine was elevated to minor basilica status by St. John Paul ll Oct. 12, 1990. This was renewed by the U.S. bishops Nov. 11, 2006.
           
Archbishop Gomez will lead the prayer of reconsecration Friday at noon, Pacific Time, and has invited the bishops to join in from their respective dioceses and asked them to extend the invitation to the Faithful in their dioceses for their participation.
           
This reconsecration follows the Latin American bishops' council who consecrated Latin America and the Caribbean to Our Lady of Guadalupe on Easter.