Rosary Crusade before 100th anniversary of apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima

From the SSPX website:

Bishop Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X announced another Rosary Crusade as a spiritual preparation for the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima.  [This is a serious anniversary.]

At the priestly ordinations in Zaitzkofen (Germany) on July 2, 2016, Bishop Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X announced another Rosary Crusade as a spiritual preparation for the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima (May to October 1917).

This crusade will be held from August 15, 2016 to August 22, 2017.

It follows the intentions indicated by the Blessed Virgin herself: (I) Jesus wishes to establish in the world the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

In order to do so, all the faithful are invited:

  1. to recite the rosary daily, alone or as a family;
  2. to accomplish the devotion of the reparatory communion on five first Saturdays, and to multiply their daily sacrifices in a spirit of reparation for the outrages against Mary;
  3. to wear the miraculous medal themselves and to diffuse it around them;
  4. to consecrate their homes to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. (You may use the prayer found here)

Besides the propagation of this devotion, we will also pray (II) for the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and (III) for the pope and all the bishops of the Catholic world to consecrate Russia to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary.

And as a special intention we will add (IV) the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the Society of St. Pius X and all its members in addtition to all the religious communities of Tradition.

The goal set by Bishop Bernard Fellay is a bouquet of 12 million rosaries and 50 million sacrifices for Our Lady of Fatima.

Here is the prayer to which Fellay referred:

Consecration To Immaculate Heart

O Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of the Heart of Jesus, Mother and Queen of our household, in order to fulfill Thy ardent desire, we consecrate ourselves to Thee, and we beseech Thee to reign over our family. Reign over each one of us, and teach us how to make the Sacred Heart of Thy Divine Son reign and triumph in us and around us, as He has reigned and triumphed in Thee.

Reign over us, O Beloved Mother, so that we may be Thine both in prosperity and in adversity, in joy and in sorrow, in health and in sickness, in life and in death. O most compassionate Heart of Mary, Queen of Virgins, watch over our souls and our hearts and preserve them from the flood of pride, impurity, and paganism of which Thou hast complained so bitterly. We desire to do reparation for the numerous crimes committed against Jesus and Thee. We call down upon our home, upon the homes of this country and upon those of the entire world, the peace of Christ in justice and charity.

Wherefore we promise to imitate Thy virtues, by the practice of a Christian life, and by frequent and fervent Holy Communion, regardless of human respect. We come with confidence to Thee, O Throne of Grace and Mother of Fair Love; inflame us with the same divine fire that has inflamed Thine own Immaculate Heart. Kindle in our hearts and homes, the love of purity, an ardent zeal for souls, and desire for the holiness of family life. We accept now, all the sacrifices that the Christian life will impose on us and we offer them to the Heart of Jesus, through Thy Immaculate Heart, in a spirit of reparation and of penance. To the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary be love, honor, and glory forever and ever!

Amen.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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29 Comments

  1. the little brother says:

    This is very wonderful, & serious. We are moving towards the Consecration of Russia!

    “I assure thee that the mere memory & contemplation of these mysteries are terrible to hell, torment & drive away the demons, & that they avoid & fly those who thankfully remember the life & passion of my divine Son.” Sister Mary of Agreda/Mystical City of God, The Transfixion, Chapter XXIII, pg.698

  2. Hristoroquen says:

    Chronology of Four Cover-up Campaigns:
    Consecration of Russia Disinformation
    Consecration and Conversion

    In the third of Her six apparitions at Fatima, on July 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin told the three shepherd children that She would return later to ask for the consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart. Our Lady emphasized the importance of this request, which was accompanied by a dire warning:

    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.

    These are the words of the Mother of God, as recounted by Sr. Lucia in her memoirs about the apparitions, first published in the 1940s.
    The Request is Made

    In June of 1929, Our Lady appeared to Sr. Lucia in her convent in Tuy, Spain. As promised, the Blessed Virgin requested the consecration she had mentioned 12 years earlier at Fatima. Our Lady’s words were recorded in Sr. Lucia’s memoirs:

    The moment has come in which God asks the Holy Father, in union with all the Bishops of the world, to make the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart, promising to save it by this means. There are so many souls whom the Justice of God condemns for sins committed against Me, that I have come to ask reparation: sacrifice yourself for this intention and pray.

    Our Lord Adds a Warning

    Two years later, in the summer of 1931, the urgency of the request was underlined by another visit. This time, Our Lord Himself spoke to Sr. Lucia, and gave her a warning about the consecration of Russia:

    Make it known to My ministers given that they follow the example of the King of France in delaying the execution of My command, like him they will follow him into misfortune.

    This was a reference to Louis XVI, who failed to consecrate France to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and was later overthrown in the French Revolution and beheaded in 1793.
    Sr. Lucia Urges Action

    Early in 1935, Sr. Lucia wrote to her confessor, Father Bernardo Goncalves, to answer some questions he had about the consecration of Russia: “Regarding the matter of Russia, I think it would please Our Lord very much if you worked to make the Holy Father comply with His wishes … I think that it should be exactly as Our Lord asked it …” Clearly, the consecration was a matter of some urgency to Sr. Lucia, but there was little indication of any response from the Church hierarchy.
    Another Warning

    In the spring of 1936, Our Lord told Sr. Lucia that the conversion of Russia would only occur when it was solemnly and publicly consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by the Pope, together with all the world’s bishops. Our Lady came to tell Sr. Lucia that unless “that poor nation” was consecrated as requested, Russia would become the instrument of world chastisement.
    A Consecration — But Not As Requested

    In October of 1942, with World War II at its height, Pope Pius XII performed a consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He made no mention of Russia, nor did any of the world’s bishops participate in the ceremony. The following spring, as the war continued, Our Lord told Sr. Lucia that world peace would not result from the Pope’s consecration, but the war would be shortened.
    Request Unsatisfied: Sr. Lucia

    On July 15, 1946, Sr. Lucia answered some questions from Professor William T. Walsh of New York, regarding the consecration. He is author of the most popular book on Fatima. She pointed out that Our Lady did not ask for the consecration of the world, but specifically and only Russia. The Pope’s consecration in 1942 therefore failed to satisfy Our Lady’s request.
    Another Inadequate Consecration

    In mid-1952, with the Korean War raging, Pope Pius XII performed another consecration. In this case, he specifically mentioned Russia, but did not ask any of the world’s Catholic bishops to join him in the ceremony. Without their participation, the consecration still failed to satisfy Our Lady’s request.
    A New Obstacle Arises

    A decade later, in the fall of 1962, the opening of the Second Vatican Council created a new obstacle to performing the consecration. To obtain Moscow’s approval for two observers from the Russian Orthodox Church to attend, the Vatican formally agreed not to condemn Soviet Russia or communism in general at the Council. This decision launched the policy of “Ostpolitik,” under which the Vatican was constrained from opposing communism by name, or condemning communist regimes that persecuted Catholics. Instead, the Church was supposed to engage in dialogue and negotiations with these governments. This policy was a radical departure from the Church’s long-standing opposition to atheistic communism and its repressive treatment of Catholics within the Soviet bloc. For most of the next two decades, the issue of the consecration was pushed into the background, and disappeared from the Vatican’s agenda.
    A Petition Ignored

    In the late 70s, Cardinal Josyf Slipyj launched a public petition seeking the consecration of Russia, as requested by Our Lady of Fatima. In only three years, the petition garnered over three million signatures. This massive appeal from the faithful was delivered to the Vatican in 1980. It was ignored, and no action was taken.
    Another Consecration Omits Russia

    While still recovering from wounds inflicted in a failed assassination attempt, Pope John Paul II performed another consecration to the Immaculate Heart in June of 1981. However, the official wording referred to the world, without mentioning Russia specifically, and all the world’s bishops were not asked to participate. This consecration thus failed once again to satisfy Our Lady’s request, even though the Pope credited Our Lady of Fatima with saving him from the assassin’s attack.
    Sr. Lucia Speaks Again

    A year later, in May of 1982, the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano published an article about Sr. Lucia by Father Umberto Maria Pasquale, a Salesian priest who had known her since 1939. Fr. Pasquale reported that Sr. Lucia told him emphatically that Our Lady had never asked for the consecration of the world, but only of Russia. He also published a photographic reproduction of a handwritten note to him from Sr. Lucia confirming this point.
    The Pope Makes an Admission

    The day after this article appeared, Pope John Paul II visited Fatima, where he again consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. A few days later, in an article in L’Osservatore Romano, the Pope explained why he had failed to mention Russia specifically, saying he had “tried to do everything possible in the concrete circumstances.” This was widely interpreted to mean that he could not violate the terms of the Vatican’s continuing policy of appeasing Russia.
    Our Lady Still “Awaiting Our Consecration”

    Two years later, this evasive approach was taken again when the Holy Father once more consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in a ceremony before 250,000 people in Rome in March of 1984. But this time, the Pope made his position clearer. In a departure from his prepared text, he asked Our Lady of Fatima to “enlighten especially the peoples of which You Yourself are awaiting our consecration and confiding.” The Pope thus publicly acknowledged that the consecration requested by Our Lady had still not been performed. These words were included in an official report of the event in L’Osservatore Romano on March 26, 1984. A similar report appeared the next day in the Italian bishops’ newspaper Avvenire, describing the Pope praying in St. Peter’s several hours after the consecration ceremony, asking Our Lady to bless “those peoples for whom You Yourself are awaiting our act of consecration and entrusting.”
    A Fatima Scholar Speaks

    Also in 1984, Father Messias Coelho, a Fatima scholar of many years, publicly insisted that the requested consecration had still not been done. Five years later, Fr. Coelho was to reveal that Vatican officials had issued instructions to Sr. Lucia and others to contradict this statement, and claim the consecration had actually been done.
    A Cardinal Agrees With Sr. Lucia

    In September of 1985, in an interview in Sol de Fatima magazine (published by the Blue Army in Spain), Sr. Lucia confirmed that the consecration still had not been done, because the 1984 ceremony did not mention Russia, and the world’s Catholic bishops did not participate. Later in the year, Cardinal Edouard Gagnon acknowledged in another interview that the consecration had still not been done as requested. He later objected to having his remarks published, though he did not deny making them.
    Confirmation From a Cousin

    For many years, Sr. Lucia’s cousin, Maria do Fetal, publicly quoted Sr. Lucia as saying the consecration had not been done. Maria do Fetal continued to maintain this position until mid-1989, when she suddenly reversed herself, in accordance with the Vatican “instruction” revealed by Fr. Coelho.
    More Confirmation from Cardinals

    In a brief interview outside her convent while voting in an election in the summer of 1987, Sr. Lucia confirmed to journalist Enrico Romero that the consecration had not been done. Her view was confirmed a few months later by Cardinal Paul Augustin Mayer in an audience with a dozen Catholic leaders, among them the Catholic journalist Victor Kulanday, and again by Cardinal Alfons Stickler a month after that. Cardinal Stickler maintained that the Pope had failed to perform the ceremony as requested because he lacked the necessary support from the world’s bishops. “They do not obey him,” he explained.
    Bishops Raise Voices

    Since the Vatican had ignored petitions with more than three million signatures of lay persons, Fr. Nicholas Gruner, the “Fatima Priest,” turned to a much smaller but much more influential group. In 1989, he obtained written confirmation from 350 Catholic bishops of their willingness to perform the requested consecration of Russia specifically. In the same year, petitions bearing another million signatures of the faithful calling for the consecration were also delivered to Rome.
    Enforcing the Party Line

    In the summer of 1989 at the Hotel Solar da Marta in Fatima, Sr. Lucia’s longtime friend Fr. Coelho made a surprising disclosure. He told several witnesses that Sr. Lucia and her fellow religious had received instructions from the Vatican to say that the Fatima request had been satisfied by the consecration performed in 1984. In evident obedience, Sr. Lucia’s cousin Maria do Fetal suddenly repudiated her previous statements, and claimed the consecration had been done. This claim flatly contradicted the Pope’s own comments made in his prayers both during and after the 1984 ceremony.

    Maria do Fetal now showed how unreliable she was as a witness when, in obedience to the Party Line, she claimed she “was inventing” when she reported that Sr. Lucia had said the 1984 consecration did not satisfy Our Lady’s request.
    An Opportunity Missed

    After another decade of inaction, the Vatican prepared once again to perform a consecration. With over 76 Cardinals and 1,400 bishops gathered in Rome for “the Jubilee of Bishops” in October of 2000, a golden opportunity to perform the ceremony as requested presented itself. Some bishops actually believed the long-awaited event would finally take place, but they were doomed to disappointment. When the text of the consecration was released the day before the ceremony, it made no mention of Russia whatsoever but contained only an “entrustment” of various groups of people, including the unemployed and “youth in search of meaning.”
    “Ostpolitik” Confirmed

    A month later, Inside the Vatican magazine reported that a Cardinal said to be “one of the Pope’s closest advisors” admitted that the Holy Father had been advised not to mention Russia, for fear of offending the Russian Orthodox Church. This provided high-level confirmation that the Vatican’s “Ostpolitik” and “Ecumenism” were indeed preventing the specific consecration of Russia.
    No Conversion in Sight

    If the consecration was performed in 1984 as some Vatican officials claim, then the promised conversion of Russia should surely be evident by now. No such evidence has appeared. Instead, there are now two abortions for every live birth in Russia, and the Catholic Church is still hemmed in by impossible legal restrictions. Catholic bishops and priests are not even permitted to become permanent residents, and can only visit that country for three months at a time. And, over the past several years, Russian President Vladimir Putin has erected a veritable neo-Stalinist authoritarian state in Russia — silencing all major media and hobbling his major political opponents with criminal investigations and indictments. New York Times columnist William Safire calls this “Putin’s creeping coup”. At the same time, Russia is developing a whole new generation of nuclear missiles, which Putin promises will be unstoppable by any missile defense.

    As The Washington Post observed in late 2003: “We must now recognize that there has been a massive suppression of human rights and the imposition of a de facto Cold War-type administration in Moscow.” In a recent statement to Congress, Republican congressman Christopher Cox told the truth that Fr. Fox never reports in his “don’t worry, be happy” magazine: “Russia does not enjoy an open, competitive political system that protects freedom of expression and association, and its government does not uphold universal standards of human rights.” Russian analyst Nikolai Zlobin of the Center for Defense Information put it most simply: “We’re fighting a kind of new Cold War.”

    Clearly, Russia is continuing to “spread her errors throughout the world” as Our Lady of Fatima predicted. Those who claim that the consecration was done nearly two decades ago must therefore explain how it has failed to produce the results the Mother of God promised. Has Our Lady failed? Or has the Vatican failed to respect Her wishes? These are questions millions of Catholics are still asking, despite decades of official maneuvers and manipulations aimed at evading the issue. Pope John Paul II has publicly declared that the Message of Fatima “imposes an obligation on the Church.” So far, the Church has failed to fulfill that obligation, and the whole world is suffering the consequences.

    For more information, see Consecration of Russia and The Devil’s Final Battle, Chapter 15.

  3. Hristoroquen says:

    Also see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2Uy21WdKFg
    How Eight Popes Failed To Consecrate Russia with John Salza

  4. Andrew D says:

    Russia has not been consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Something like 50 percent pregnancies in today’s Russia end in abortion: that’s not a sign that a nation has been converted. Furthermore, the fruit of Russia at that time was communism (atheism) and I would say that it has successfully spread throughout the world including here in the U.S. which is now pretty much officially a secular-progressive toilet. Now is the time, more than ever to personally do exactly as Our Lady of Fatima requested. Many souls will be lost as was told to the three shepherds – don’t be one of them.

  5. padredana says:

    I have only one critique of this and it has to do with the list of things that he is encouraging the faithful to do. Our Lady of Fatima said nothing about the Miraculous Medal, rather she spoke of the Brown Scapular and indeed appeared as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. It would be better, in this context, to promote the wearing of the Brown Scapular as it is directly related to the Apparitions at Fatima.

  6. ” [This is a serious anniversary.]”

    This anniversary is so serious in our parish that our pastor has been preparing for the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima since June 15, 2013. Starting then, at 9 PM nightly there is a rosary procession preparing for this serious and beautiful anniversary.

  7. JesusFreak84 says:

    Can’t go wrong with a Rosary Crusade, and it’s something any Catholic can do, whether they sympathize with the SSPX or not.

  8. majuscule says:

    to recite the rosary daily, alone or as a family

    I wonder if this means an additional rosary specific to this intention or can we add this intention to one we already say? (If we are already saying more than one…)

    Our Lady of Fatima said nothing about the Miraculous Medal, rather she spoke of the Brown Scapular

    There is no reason one can’t wear the Brown Scapular and the Miraculous Medal!

  9. Hidden One says:

    The devotional practises encouraged by Bishop Fellay here ate clearly good things to do. But is participation in this crusade a good thing to do? This is an honest and serious question.

  10. jltuttle says:

    It does appear that all the previous consecrations were ineffective. However, what do you make of Russia’s anti-blasphemy and anti-homosexual propaganda laws, and their efforts to curb abortion? True, they have a long way to go to come out of the dark, but they seem to be the only country going in the right direction.

  11. Giuseppe says:

    If the Russian Orthodox Church is the principal religion of Russia, and they are part of the Orthodox communion, and they are welcome to receive communion in Roman Catholic churches, and the Orthodox churches venerate Mary (Theotokos), then isn’t Russia already devoted to Mary? It always seemed odd to me that the Pope and the world’s bishops would be the means of consecrating an orthodox country to Mary.

    Could Patriarch Kiril just say that Russia is and has always been consecrated to Mary through the Russian Orthodox Church?

  12. JesusFreak84 says:

    @majuscle During past Crusades, ++Fellay’s stated it can be the normal family rosary :)

  13. Vincent says:

    I’ve always been uncertain about the Scapular – not because I doubt Our Lady’s words, but because I take seriously the conditions attached to it; I’m not very good at praying, and I have no doubt that I would fail to do the conditions. To me, that’s a promise to Our Lady, and it’s no small thing to break it. I do however wear my Miraculous Medal. It’s only cheap, but it’s a way of showing my Catholic identity, and to remind me of it when I need it.

    As regards Russia: the Nazis encouraged large families, and yet we all know what happened with them. Satan has many ways of deceiving us. Here in the UK the RAF is frequently scrambling jets to guard our airspace against Russian incursion. Russia represents a huge danger to Europe.

    It’s my theory that when Sister Lucia stated that the consecration had been accepted by heaven, that’s not incompatible with the proper one having yet to be done: it’s possible that the Popes have fulfilled enough of the requirements Our Lady set out for some mercy to have been applied to sinful humanity?

  14. The Masked Chicken says:

    “I’ve always been uncertain about the Scapular – not because I doubt Our Lady’s words, but because I take seriously the conditions attached to it; I’m not very good at praying, and I have no doubt that I would fail to do the conditions. To me, that’s a promise to Our Lady, and it’s no small thing to break it.”

    What conditions attached to it are you afraid of breaking? There are conditions for the First Saturday devotion, but I know of no conditions attached simply to the wearing of the Sacpular that are not part of the ordinary things Catholics should be doing, anyways. There used to be the conditions of fasting on Wednesday and Fridays and observing chastity according to ones state in life, but the obligation to fast can be abrogated, for a good reason and chastity is a requirement for everyone according to their state in life. The Scapular is a promise to Mary that you will try to live a life of virtue, not a mandate of for instant perfection.

    The Chicken

  15. excalibur says:

    Russia has not been consecrated by any Pope to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the manner requested. Period. If God had meant for Mary to request the world He would have had her do so. Look at the failure to consecrate France to the Sacred Heart. Yes, the same, or worse, will happen. We can already see how far down we have sunk int an abyss in the former Christendom.

    On June 17, 1689 the Sacred Heart of Jesus manifested to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque His command to the King of France that the King was to consecrate France to the Sacred Heart. For 100 years to the day the Kings of France delayed, and did not obey.

    So on June 17, 1789 the King of France was stripped of his legislative authority by the upstart Third Estate, and four years later the soldiers of the French Revolution executed the King of France as if he were a criminal.

  16. jltuttle says:

    Mr. Chicken,

    You wrote, “Here in the UK the RAF is frequently scrambling jets to guard our airspace against Russian incursion. Russia represents a huge danger to Europe.”

    But aren’t you guys always at war with Eastasia?

  17. jltuttle says:

    What do we make of Fr. Hardin’s comments on the consecration of Russia?

    “Pope John Paul II wanted to remove the last vestige of doubt in anyone’s mind as to whether the world – and Russia – had been collegially consecrated to the Mother of God. So in 1984, he wrote to all the bishops of the world inviting them to join him in the collegial Consecration.

    This, the final and decisive act of consecration, was made by the Holy Father on March 25, 1984. It was universal, solemn, public and collegial [in] the deepest sense of the word. Implicit in this act was the inclusion of Russia, identified among the people who are “most in need.”

    One of the pities of our time is that there were – and still are – those who criticize the popes for not having consecrated Russia to the Immaculate Heart. But the unbloody revolution of the early nineties, that reversed the bloody revolution of 1917, should convince even the worst skeptic that Mary’s promise of Russia’s conversion is being fulfilled.”

    http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Mariology/Mariology_014.htm

  18. franciskoerber says:

    The consecration has not been done. Do not be deceived by those who say it has.
    And if you think you got the whole third secret of Fatima from the Vatican in 2000, that is a negative also.

  19. albizzi says:

    Cardinal Bertone’s claim of Sr Lucia saying that “The Consecration (that of 1982 by JP II) has been accepted by Heavens” does not contradict the fact that this consecration act was not performed in accordance with our Lady’s requirements.
    Of course, so far as the aim of a consecration is just and noble, Heavens never will reject it.
    For example, who has ever heard of a personal consecration (to the Sacred Heart of Jésus, or to our Lady) that was rejected by Heavens?
    Therefore it is true that the Consecration of 1982 brought some fruits, like the fall of the Iron Curtain, the disintegration of the USSR and the revival of the orthodox faith, but certainly not the conversion of Russia to the Catholic Faith, nor the promised era of peace.
    In addition, the late Abbé Georges de Nantes was told by the Bishop of Fatima/Leiria, Mgr Do Amaral that he himself was entrusted by the Vatican to convey to Sr Lucia the strict order to “shut up” about the Consecration of 1982.

  20. Giuseppe says:

    I know Rome is the universal church, but Russia is really under the Orthodox wing. I’ve never fully understood the relationship between the churches, especially since Rome does believe that Orthodoxy has apostolic succession, valid Eucharist, and ability to inter-communicate.

    Was it politically problematic for Rome to consecrate a nation with few Catholics to the Immaculate Heart of Mary?

    I guess it is proof where truth lies, as Mary could well have appeared to Russian Orthodox children saying that the Russia should be consecrated to her by their bishops and patriarch and instead she appeared in the realm of the Patriarch of the West.

  21. robtbrown says:

    Albizzi says,

    Therefore it is true that the Consecration of 1982 brought some fruits, like the fall of the Iron Curtain, the disintegration of the USSR and the revival of the orthodox faith, but certainly not the conversion of Russia to the Catholic Faith, nor the promised era of peace.

    What about the terrestrial causes? Nixon’s opening to China. Reaganco’s decision to put economic pressure on the Soviets. And the ascent of Gorbachev.

  22. Imrahil says:

    The most conclusive view regarding the “consecration of Russia” topic seems to be, to me, that a consecration of Russia has indeed taken place in 1984, being obviously expressly intended, though for politically-correct reasons not expressly said, in the Papal consecrations then; but with some probability not the consecration of Russia, which would require just directly say the thing without further ado.

    But in unison with the world’s bishops, that’s what makes the thing problematic: a consecration of Russia, and Russia specifically, by the Pope alone has already taken place, it was done by Pius XII and has, as far as we can see, not been without effect. It was somewhat precisely around that time that the Russian Army began winning against the Germans, and we should know that Stalin (surprise though it may be) thought about this war not in terms of communists versus non-Communistic world, but spole of the “Great Patriotic one”.

    Now, was there a conversion of Russia?

    Well, sort of.

    There was the Peaceful Revolution of the beginning 1990s, to begin with. The Catholic Church got freedom of religion – subject to administrative bullying, it is true, but no comparison with the status quo ante. The Russian Orthodox got complete freedom of religion. And the people, hitherto raised in Atheism by the State, started to turn to the Faith in large numbers – though, it is true, in the main to the Russian Orthodox denomination. Abruptly stated, they went out of the fire of apostasy into the frying-pan of schism –

    but still that’s not nothing.

    They are now under a President who is a realpolitiker of the bad old sort, comparable to Bismarck in ruthlessness (I did not say in genius)… but for all that, their president does seem to love his country genuinely, take his faith, though it is the Russian Orthodox one, seriously and not only put it on for show (and even if he did put it on for show, it’s great praise to the state of a country where its politicians think it makes them popular when they appear faithful), and by the by, resents a lot of that modern nonsense we have to deal with in our more Western countries.

    That, also, is not nothing…

    and in fact if the Pope had said, “therefore I consecrate Russia” in 1984, I’d be quick enough to say that this is obviously what was meant with the consecration’s effect. Only he hasn’t; he said “I consecrate the world” even though it was clear to the informed observer that he meant Russia in chief; and so it seems probable that while the consecration of 1984 was not without effect, the real “conversion of Russia” that was spoken of is yet to come.

    Dear Giuseppe,

    the point is that the Russian Orthodox Church is not a legitimate Church, and “Patriarch of the West” merely a subsidiary title of who has jurisdiction in the whole Church including the East. Our Lady chose to appear to Catholic children.

    Dear Chicken,

    what, by the way, is a good reason to be dispensed from the Wednesday and Friday (and probably hardest, Saturday, if I remember correctly) fast? I was under the impression that the imposer of the Scapular can lift this obligation as a matter of course, without asking for a specific reason, and replace it by a different obligation.

    What happens, by the way, if someone who bears a Scapular does sin against the chastity obligations of his state? (1. in a semi-conscious manner that is a venial sin, 2. fully knowing what he does, but in thought, 3. in speech and outward action, 4. by completing the act reserved for marriage?)

  23. Fr Jackson says:

    This is an entirely earnest question, so don’t bite my head off!
    How can we know that we can still do the consecration of Russia today? For perspective, consider the request of Our Lady to consecrate France. I think we agree that this wasn’t done. Do we also agree that the consecration of France really can’t be done now – at least not in a way that fulfills the purpose of the original request? If it can’t be done, why not? Can the consecration of Russia be done now in a way that fulfills the purpose of the original request? If so, why is this second case different from the first?
    I respectfully suggest that in both cases we “missed the boat” and can’t really get the graces Our Lady originally intended. Of course, I believe that Our Lady always gives grace in response to an act of devotion to her, regardless of the “conditions”.
    In the perspective of these two considerations, I admit that I find it odd to be debating about the “conditions” that would distinguish a “real” consecration of Russia from a, um… non-real (?) consecration. Even supposing that we finally got a certain number of other conditions to align, who can say that it’s not too late – maybe that’s a condition that no one can fix now. And yet, we ought to see all the acts of devotion / consecration / entrustment to Our Lady as acts that obtained graces from heaven. Our Lady is a good mother, and a good mother responds to requests from her children even when they aren’t perfect.

  24. Imrahil says:

    Dear Fr Jackson,

    if Our Lady said, as I think I remember hearing it reported, “the Holy Father will consecrate Russia and Russia will convert, in the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph” – not that this is a chance for us we could miss, only a chance we can, as it were, postpone – there is only the condition that it hasn’t been done yet.

    (About which there is indeed some debate, concerning the 1984 consecrations.)

  25. Fr Jackson says:

    I recall some discussion of Our Lady promising Sister Lucy that the consecration would happen during her lifetime. Am I remembering this correctly?

  26. kat says:

    Fr. Jackson,
    I always heard that Our Lady said “The consecration will take place, but it will be late.” (Note she didn’t say “too late!”) In the end Her Immaculate Heart will reign.

  27. Mary Jane says:

    Here is a link to an excellent mission given by a wonderful FSSP priest (I bet some of you will recognize his voice) on this very subject–the upcoming 100th anniversary, the miracle of the sun, Our Lady’s message, the secrets (and whether the third secret was fully revealed), etc:

    https://soundcloud.com/fatima-portugal-7947945/tracks

    Highly encourage all to give it a isten, it is absolutely excellent. My husband and I just finished listening to it yesterday. It’s hard to stop listening once you’ve begun.

  28. The Masked Chicken says:

    Dear Bill,

    There are no special prayers needed for wearing the Brown Scapular:

    “2. What are the conditions requisite for gaining the Our Lady’s promise of the Brown Scapular?

    To observe exactly what has been prescribed regarding material, color, and shape of the Scapular.
    To be enrolled in the Scapular by a priest.
    To wear it continually.
    Please note that there are no special prayers or good works that are necessary to receive the promise. The Scapular is a silent prayer that shows one’s complete consecration and dedication to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Scapular is a devotion whereby we venerate Her, love Her, and trust in Her protection, and we tell Her these things every moment of the day by simply wearing the Brown Scapular.”

    This is taken from the website:

    http://www.sistersofcarmel.com/faqs-the-brown-scapular/

    One thing that is problematic is the Sabbatine Privilege, as there is some controversy over its historical licity. The Carmelite Friars do not promote the Privilege.

    Here, is another good article:

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scapular_of_Our_Lady_of_Mount_Carmel

    The Chicken

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