This past Sunday an historic event occurred in Scotland. The bishops of the country, along with thousands of other Catholics, joined together to perform a Consecration of Scotland to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
At a grotto dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the bishops prayed the following prayer.
“We consecrate Scotland to you: all that we have, all that we love, all that we are. To you, we give our minds and hearts, our bodies and souls.“We willingly place at your service our homes and our families, our parishes and schools: we desire that all that is in us and around us may belong to you, O Mary, and may share in the benefits of your motherly care.“[We] devote ourselves wholeheartedly to the service of your blessed name, in order to assure, through the sovereignty of your Immaculate Heart, the coming of the kingdom of your adorable Son Jesus Christ, in our own hearts and in our country of Scotland.”
The ceremony was preceded by 40 Days of Preparation, during which Catholics were encouraged to prepare spiritually for the event.
According to the Catholic Herald, “the laity had begun the initiative for the consecration: They had sent ‘continual letters’ asking that Scotland be consecrated, as other countries have been in the centenary year of the Fatima apparitions, including Poland, Syria, and England and Wales.”
Unique about the event was that four parliamentarians passed a motion that recognized the event.
“That the Parliament recognises that Scotland’s Catholic bishops will consecrate the nation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on 3 September 2017; understands that the bishops will pray for Scotland at the Marian Shrine at the Carfin Grotto, near Motherwell, asking that Scotland be energised with a renewed desire to seek the truth, and understands that at the same time they will pray for all parliamentarians and government, so that they will play their part in building a true civilisation of love and strive to create a place where all people are valued, a place where poor, lonely and marginalised people are not forgotten, and a place where people are free to practise their faith.”
The consecration occurred at a grotto dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes that has become a popular pilgrimage site in Scotland.
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And today we celebrate...