Northwest Indiana Catholic “Holy Mother, amid the misery of our sinfulness, amid our struggles and weaknesses, amid the mystery of iniquity that is evil and war, you remind us that God never abandons us, but continues to look upon us with love, ever ready to forgive us and raise us up to new life.”
- from the Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
MERRILLVILLE – In the context of the tragic events unfolding in Ukraine, Bishop Robert J. McClory joined the Holy Father, Pope Francis, in leading an Act of Consecration of all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation.
Our Lady of Consolation church was filled to near capacity as Catholics from throughout the Diocese of Gary gathered to pray for peace around the world, while nearly 2,000 watched the Mass online.
The pope had invited “the bishops of the whole world, along with their priests, to join him in the prayer for peace and in the consecration and entrustment of Russia and of Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary." Bishop McClory began the local Mass at 11 a.m., the hour corresponding to the time (5 p.m.) that Pope Francis presided at St. Peter’s Basilica.
According to Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, “The same act, on the same day, (was) performed in Fatima by Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, papal almoner,” who was sent there by the pope.
Reverend Volodymyr Kushnir, pastor of Saint Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church in Munster, participated in the liturgy at Bishop McClory’s invitation, and expressed “gratitude to all of you for your prayers in support of Ukraine.”
He also made a plea to the congregation to continue “to pray for Ukraine, its president, the soldiers and especially for all the displaced, innocent citizens - the elderly, infirm, women and children, and those who were killed in this unjust war. Also, please pray for the Holy Spirit to grant wisdom to our world leaders to make the right decisions to help Ukraine and to stop this war. And may Mary, the Mother of God, protect Ukraine, its people and all humanity.”
Bishop McClory described consecration as a solemn dedication, meaning "to make sacred or holy." He further explained that persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and in this case, the act of consecration means to entrust ourselves and the people of these countries to Jesus through the intercessory prayers of Mary, the holy mother of God.
“In union with Pope Francis and brother priests around the world, we are calling upon the Blessed Mother of Jesus to earnestly pray for the transformation of hearts, resolution of this conflict and for peace and love to govern these two countries,” said the bishop. “I encourage the faithful of Northwest Indiana to devote time to praying for peace in our world and entrust ourselves to Jesus through Mary.”
In his homily, Bishop McClory made reference to the consecration of Mary when the angel appeared to her to ask her to become the Mother of God. “She said ‘yes’ and it made all the difference,” noted the bishop. “The Blessed Mother said yes when the angel appeared to her. She did so trusting in the Lord, and that confirmation of the fact that she herself had been consecrated … from her very moment of conception, is a beautiful witness for all to us, to say yes to Jesus in our own lives and in our hearts.”
“She herself was so totally dedicated to God, that she inspires us as we gather for another consecration.
“She said yes, and then in Jesus’ first recorded public miracle, Jesus said ‘yes’ to her, because … realizing the need of that young couple (at the Wedding at Cana), she simply presented that to the Lord and said – ‘They have no wine’,” recalled the bishop. “He first said, ‘This was not my hour’ … and yet, because his mother had presented this need … what happened was that first miracle … and the young couple had their needs met.”
“Today, we come here with profound needs, needs that cry out for mercy, needs that cry out for peace. We join here in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, who are suffering from an unjust violence inflicted upon them. We also pray for the people and the country of Russia … because we know that the Lord calls us at all times to entrust everything, everyone into his loving hands, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. So when we entrust ourselves to Mary, we’re indeed entrusting ourselves to her Son, because she always points to Jesus.”
Quoting Pope Francis’ letter to the bishops of the world, Bishop McClory read: “This act of consecration is meant to be a gesture of the universal Church, which at this dramatic moment lifts up to God, through his mother and ours, the cry of pain of all those who suffer and implore an end to the violence, and to entrust the future of our human family to the Queen of Peace.”
The bishop called the prayer of consecration “historic and powerful,” and asked his faithful to repeat it themselves prayerfully, as he proclaimed it during the Mass.
Pointed out by several members of the congregation as the most moving was a section of the prayer that formed a litany to the Blessed Mother:
“Star of the Sea, do not let us be shipwrecked in the tempest of war.
“Ark of the New Covenant, inspire projects and paths of reconciliation.
“Queen of Heaven, restore God’s peace to the world. Eliminate hatred and the thirst for revenge, and teach us forgiveness.
Free us from war, protect our world from the menace of nuclear weapons.
“Queen of the Rosary, make us realize our need to pray and to love.
“Queen of the Human Family, show people the path of fraternity.
“Queen of Peace, obtain peace for our world.”
“It was beautiful to say all those beautiful names (for Mary),” said Mitchell Bolda, who added that for the third straight year, he used the occasion of the Annunciation to reconsecrate himself to the Blessed Mother. “To say this entire prayer with those in Europe, even Lourdes, and around the world, was very special.”
The Valparaiso resident and parishioner at Holy Spirit in Winfield added, “to see all the people and hear them the singing here today is wonderful as this consecration goes on around the world. It shows the universal church that we are, to be saying the same words together.”
Natalie Schwemlein of St. James the Less in Highland brought her four youngest children, six to 16, to participate in the consecration of the world to the Blessed Virgin Mary “for peace in Ukraine and help for the Ukrainian people. (I tell my children) we just have to keep praying,” she said.
Schwemlein said her grandfather, Peter Syrles, was Ukrainian, so she feels particularly touched “by the heartbreaking tragedy taking place. Through God’s grace, I know he will help the people of the world. We need to pray, and take care of each other.”
Laura Kadelak, a parishioner at Our Lady of Consolation and a Merrillville resident, said she attended “because this is a special Mass and a special day. I’m here praying for Ukraine and for the innocent Russians. I just had to be here,” she said. “I feel sad. We just have to keep praying.”
Coming from Kouts and to the Mass on the Annunciation were Stephanie Heaton and her three young children. “I felt a lot of peace here today, and hope for the future,” she said. “It’s sad and I don’t even know what is true and what isn’t. I just keep praying.”
Seventh-grader Sophia Heaton said participating in the Act of Consecration, “makes me want to pray a lot more for Russia and Ukraine.”