Our Lady of Fatima
On July 13, 1917 the Blessed Virgin Mary told the children of Fatima that she wanted the Pope to consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart in union with all the bishops of the world.
To date, no ceremonial rite of Papal consecration has been specifically addressed to “Russia” nor in complete unison with the sum total of all Catholic bishops. Almost 105 years have passed since her original request.
Consecration of Russia finally scheduled!
Pope Francis, in union with all the bishops of the world, will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at 5 pm on Friday, March 25 at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. That is 12 noon (EST) eastern standard time and 9 am (PST) pacific standard time on Friday, March 25.
March 25 is the Feast of the Annunciation, a Christian holiday commemorating the visit of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, where he announced that she would give birth to Jesus Christ.
On the same day Cardinal Konrad Krajewski of Poland, the papal almoner or “alms giver,” will perform the act of consecration at Fatima, Portugal as representatve of the Pope. The same act, on the same day will also be undertaken by ALL the bishops of the world. At least that is the plan . . . .
Pope Francis embraces Cardinal Konrad Krajewski in 2013
. . . . hopefully, for the first time this consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary will be performed in exact accordance with Our Lady of Fatima’s request of 1917, specifically naming the nation of “RUSSIA” in the Pope’s consecration, in union with ALL the bishops of the world.
Russian-Ukranian War
The Russo-Ukranian War is an ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine that began in February 2014.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union (USSR) in 1991, Ukraine and Russia maintained close ties. In 1994 Ukraine agreed to be a non-nuclear-weapon state and former Soviet nuclear weapons in Ukraine were removed to Russia and dismantled. In return the UK and US agreed to uphold the territorial integrity and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) would not expand eastward. [1]
But Eastern Bloc countries joined NATO in 1999—Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland, in 2004—Bulgaria and Romania, and in 2009—Albania. [2] Russia sees this expansion as a violation of Western powers’ assurances that NATO would not expand eastward.
In 2021 there was a Russian military build-up on the Russian-Ukraine border and the conflict expanded when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. It is the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II. [3]
What does it mean to consecrate a nation?
To consecrate a nation is the act of dedicating that nation to God, sanctifying it and making it holy. Sanctify literally means “to set apart for special use or purpose,” that is, to make holy or sacred.
Sanctification refers to the process of being set apart and then “made holy,” as a vessel, full of the Holy Spirit of God.
To understand how this could happen one can reflect on the words of Jesus at the Last Supper, where during the consecration, He said of the bread: “This is my Body” and of the chalice of wine: “This is my Blood.” The consecration of the bread and wine makes it “holy.” When the Catholic Church celebrates the Eucharist, Jesus is truly there, and it is He who does once more what He did at the Last Supper. The liturgy of the Eucharist includes the offering and the presentation of bread and wine at the altar, their consecration by the priest during the eucharistic prayer, and the reception of the consecrated bread and wine in Holy Communion.
Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is to consecrate those two nations to Jesus through the intercessory prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is defined by the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship as recognizing the “singular role of Mary in the Mystery of Christ and of the Church, of the universal and exemplary importance of her witness to the Gospel, or trust in her intercession and of the efficacy of her patronage.”
A Fatima Secret reveals Our Lady’s request
In 1916, an angel came three times to three Portuguese children while they were tending their sheep. The angel prepared them for the visit to come of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
On May 13, 1917 the three children—Lúcia, Jacinta and Francisco took their flock of sheep to a natural hollow in the ground known as Cova da Iria to graze, just outside the town of Fatima in Portugal. After a bolt of lightening the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to the children and invited them to return to the same place the 13th of every month for 6 months. During these visits she taught the children to pray the rosary and to make little sacrifices for the conversion of sinners.
THREE CHILDREN of FATIMA—Lúcia dos Santos (age 10), Francisco Marto (age 9) and Jacinta Marto (age 7)
During the July 13, 1917 apparition the Blessed Virgin Mary told them:
“God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The [First World] war is going to end; if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the pontificate of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that He is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father. To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the communion of reparation on the first Saturday’s. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace. If not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.” [4]
Three Secrets of Fatima
No 1—The children were shown a horrifying vision of the souls in Hell.
No 2—The children were told of the prediction of the end of World War I and a prediction of the beginning of World War II as well as a request for the Pope to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in union with all the bishops of the world.
No 3—The children were shown a vision of the Pope, along with other bishops, priests, religious and lay people, being killed by soldiers. [5]
The sixth and final apparition, the Miracle of the Sun, occurred on the 13th of October, 1917.
Both Francisco and Jacinta were victims of the 1918 Spanish flu. Francisco died at the age of 10 and Jacinta died at the age of 9.
This “written down secret” was not read by a pope until 1941. There have been several popes, specifically Pope Pius XII in 1942, Pope Paul VI in 1964, Pope John Paul II in 1982 and 1984, Pope Benedict XIV in 2010 and Pope Francis in 2013, who have consecrated “the world” to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, but to date, no ceremonial rite of Papal consecration has been specifically addressed to “Russia” nor in complete unison with the sum total of all Catholic bishops. [6]
Grassroots plea for consecration . . .
It appears that the recent plea for this consecration may be a grassroots movement. Ukraine’s Latin Rite Catholic bishops wrote a letter to the pope in response to many requests for the consecration: “…we humbly ask Your Holiness to publicly perform the act of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Ukraine and Russia, as requested by the Blessed Virgin in Fatima. [7]
Ukranian bishops letter to Pope Francis (in Russian above) was published on the bishops’ website on Ash Wednesday, March 2. [8]
Banner calling for the consecration of Russia was displayed by many devotees of Our Lady of Fatima during Pope Francis’ Angelus at St Peter’s Square on March 13. [9]
Finally, on Tuesday, March 15 the Vatican announced that Pope Francis will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
On March 15 the Holy See press office said: “On Friday, March 25, during the Celebration of Penance at which he will preside at 5 pm in St Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
“The same act, on the same day, will be carried out in Fatima by His Eminence Cardinal Krajewski, Apostolic Almoner, as envoy of the Holy Father.” [10]
. . . in union with all the bishops of the world?
But what about this consecration being in union with all the bishops of the world? That was part of the request of Our Lady of Fatima in 1917, but there was no mention of it in the March 15 announcement of plans from the Vatican.
Some Catholics with a devotion to the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima have long raised objections to prior papal responses to the request for a consecration of Russia, and criticized the 1984 act of consecration performed by Pope John Paul II, claiming it did not adhere closely enough to their understanding of Mary’s request.
Journalists and Catholic devotees of Our Lady of Fatima have reached out to dioceses across the country to ask whether their local bishops would be participating in the consecration. In general their answer was they intended to support the Pope in this consecration and would like to participate, but they are not sure in what form. [11]
March 17—letter to all US Catholic bishops
In a letter sent urgently on March 17 to all the US bishops, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States revealed that Pope Francis intends to invite all Catholic bishops and priests around the world to join the Act of Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The letter reveals that “the Holy Father intends to invite each bishop, or equivalent in law, together with his priests, to join in this act of consecration, if possible, at an hour corresponding to 5 pm Rome time.”
“In the coming days,” adds the letter, “the Holy Father will address a letter of invitation to the Bishops, enclosing the text of the Prayer of Consecration in the various languages.” [12]
FULL TEXT OF POPE FRANCIS’ ACT OF CONSECRATION OF RUSSIA AND UKRAINE TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
Pope Francis invites everyone to join in the consecration
Sunday, March 20, 2022, St Peter’s Square—
“I invite every community and every one of the faithful to join with me next Friday, March 25, the solemnity of the Annunciation, in making this solemn act of consecration of humanity, and especially of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, so that she, the Queen of Peace, may obtain peace for the world.” [13]
Our Lady’s words to the children—July 13, 1917
Fatima Medals
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_War
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_states_of_NATO
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_War
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consecration_of_Russia
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Secrets_of_F%C3%A1tima
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consecration_of_Russia
[11] https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/bishops-await-vatican-instruction?s=r
[13] https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2022/03/20/ukraine-mary-prayer-peace-242637
Beautiful news. Thank you Paula!❤️
What a summary of what has taken place! Thanks for helping us to understand this blessed event!
My caregiver, Eliane di Maggio, and I will be attending the Consecration Ceremony of Pope Francis
with all of the bishops of the world in our prayers and belief that Our Lady, Our Lady of Fatima, Will
bring peace throughout the world, and that the Ukraine and Russia will turn to Our Lady of Fatima
with a heart, mind, and soul, strong belief in her promises of peace. We pray.
Marianne Wyman
May God bless you Marianne Wyman and Eliane di Maggio!
Here is the FULL TEXT of Pope Francis’ Act of Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary:
http://www.magdalenepublishing.org/blog/text-of-pope-consecration-russia/
You did that beautifully. Thanks for helping me better understand.
Thank you for this Paula, you wrote this in a very clear and beautiful way – I am so grateful. This is so important for our world and have shared your message with many, thank you once again!
Thank you Jennifer!
I hope you have seen the FULL TEXT of the Pope’s Prayer of Consecration. If not I am sending it to you here:
http://www.magdalenepublishing.org/blog/text-of-pope-consecration-russia/