California Catholic Daily, Aug. 18, 2017
My Dear People of God of the Diocese of Santa Rosa:
During this Centenary Year of the Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima it is my desire to have the Diocese of Santa Rosa and every Parish and Mission of the Diocese Consecrated or Dedicated to Mary.
The plan is to have this Consecration done after all Sunday Masses on Saturday, December 9 and Sunday, December 10. Additionally, it would be most proper to have the same Consecration after all Masses on December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and again on December 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The need or desire to add these days is to be determined by each Pastor. The Act of Consecration is very similar to the Morning Offering except that it is more solemn and centered on Mary.
In the Morning Offering, we state: “O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father”. In our Consecration we state: “We consecrate to you (Mary) our very being and our whole life; all that we have, all that we love, all that we are.”
Saint Pope John Paul II also refers this Consecration as an Entrustment. It is an act of trust in the love God has for us and in the love our Blessed Mother has for us. We Entrust ourselves to Her maternal care with profound confidence and love. We trust that, having given over everything we have and are to Her protection and even Her dominion, we then rely on Her to distribute merits and graces where they are most needed. At the same time we manifest a deep confidence that those, for whom we have special affection, including ourselves, will never be neglected in the spiritual distribution.
Beginning next Sunday, September 3 you will be able to access, on-line, the program which has been distributed to Parishes earlier in the year, namely, 33 Days to Morning Glory. This is a Marian Consecration Preparation Program and, as the name suggests, it is just over one month in length.
Next weekend, September 2-3, you will be given the internet link, the access code and the password so that you, your family or your prayer group can listen to the Video presentations of Father Michael Gaitley, MIC and access the reading material by way of the Internet. Each week for five weeks you will be directed to the next step in the Preparation Process. If you begin on September 3, you will be able to make a personal Consecration prior to the Diocesan / Parish / Mission Consecration.
This would make the December event much more significant for you as you join with your brothers and sisters throughout the Diocese in consecrating themselves and the Diocese / Parish / Mission to the special patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I pray that you take full advantage of this great spiritual opportunity and join with us in utilizing the internet for a great spiritual good.
Asking every grace and blessing of God upon you, I am
+The Most Reverend Robert F. Vasa
From santarosacatholic.org. For more information on 33 Days to Morning Glory, please click here.
