In a worldwide plea for peace, Pope Francis is asking all bishops and their priests to join him in an Act of Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the Feast of the Annunciation, Friday, March 25. Pope Francis is scheduled to begin a Celebration of Penance at St. Peter’s Basilica at 5:00 p.m., Rome time, which is 9:00 a.m. in California. The Act of Consecration itself will then take place at approximately 6:30 p.m., Rome time, which is 10:30 a.m., Pacific time.
The penitential service and the consecration will be livestreamed via the Vatican’s Facebook pages in English and Spanish and on the Vatican website in English and Spanish.
Bishop Oscar Cantú said: “I will join the Holy Father in praying the act of consecration with my brother bishops and the universal Church from a bishop’s conference in Chicago and I encourage the clergy, religious, and the faithful of our diocese to also join in the consecration at that time from their homes or parishes and pray in support of the Holy Father’s intentions, as we seek the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, the Queen of Peace, in bringing conversion and peace to this region.”
As Pope John Paul II explained, “Consecrating ourselves to Mary means accepting her help to offer ourselves and the whole of mankind to Him who is holy, infinitely holy.”
To learn all about what the consecration means and why it matters: see this article by Father Johann Roten, S.M.: Meaning of Consecration to Mary.