MOTHER OF THE CHURCH

Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, said in a letter sent to all American bishops, April 22, that Marian reconsecration would be done under the title of “MARY, MOTHER of the CHURCH.” 

He invited all the bishops of the country to join him in prayer on May 1 at 12 p.m. PDT, or 3 p.m. EDT. The reconsecration is timed to coincide with the bishops of Canada consecrating their own country to Mary at the same time.  The bishops of Italy will also consecrate their country to the Virgin Mary.

“Every 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.”

Pope Francis declared that the Monday after Pentecost should be celebrated as the memorial of “Mary, Mother of the Church.” This May 21 will be the first time the feast is celebrated.

Archbishop Gomez said, “The first Christians understood Mary to be the perfect symbol of the Church’s spiritual motherhood. And to know that Mary is the mother of the Church is to begin to understand the depths of God’s love for us.”

For centuries, Marian devotions  have included many examples of personal or collective acts of consecration and entrustment to the Virgin Mary.

 Consecration is an act by which a person is dedicated to a sacred service, or an act, which separates an object, location or region from a common and profane mode to one for sacred use. For the Mother of God we are asking her protection and her maternal blessing on us.

Consecration to Mary does not diminish or substitute the love of God, but enhances it, for all consecration is ultimately made to God. 

At the sixth Plenary Council of Baltimore held in 1846, the bishops of the United States unanimously chose our Blessed Mother, under the title of the Immaculate Conception, to be the Patroness of the United States of America. 

Later, Pope Piux XII proclaimed Our Lady of Guadalupe  Patroness of the Americas, and said “We are certain that so long as you  are recognized as Queen and Mother, America and Mexico are saved.”

Pope Saint John Paul II consecrated the entire world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.