The re-consecration will take place 70 years after Canada was first consecrated to Mary at a huge Marian Congress in Ottawa in 1947.
When the Canadian Catholic bishops gather for their annual plenary assembly in September, they will be invited to jointly re-consecrate Canada following a Eucharistic celebration, said a news release from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) released April 28.
“Beginning with the early Jesuit missionaries who consecrated their missions to Mary Immaculate, a number of Canadian dioceses, eparchies, parishes, schools, cities and buildings have been named in her honour,” the CCCB said. “The first time the country as a whole was consecrated to the Blessed Mother took place in 1947 during the National Marian Congress which was held in Ottawa.”
The largest religious gathering until then in North America, “the celebration marked the centenary of the Archdiocese of Ottawa and focused on the hope for lasting world peace,” the CCCB release said. “A message by Pope Pius XII was broadcast during the Eucharist and was carried by a number of radio stations across the country.”
Two federal cabinet ministers, Louis St-Laurent, then Secretary of State for External Affairs, and James J. McCann, Minister of National Revenue and Minister of War Services, led the prayer of consecration in French and English.
Dennis and Angelina Girard, Ottawa Catholics who have been leading a lay initiative to publicize the 70th anniversary of the Marian Congress during the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, said they are “elated” to hear the news about Canada’s re-consecration.
“Amazing that the CCCB is announcing it on the Feast Day of St. Louis de Montfort,” Dennis Girard said. “Heaven must be rejoicing!” St. Louis de Montfort created a template for Marian consecration in his book True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Last October, the Girards discovered a film made by Fr. Maurice Prouxl of the 1947 Marian Congress. They secured the rights to translate the film from French into English and to publish both versions on their website www.CatholicinCanada.com.
CCCB communications director Rene Laprise said it was a decision of the Permanent Council and the Executive Committee to invite Canada’s bishops and eparchs to re-consecrate Canada on July 1 and during the plenary.
The CCCB has also posted catechetical material for adults and children at cccb.ca to help them make a personal Marian consecration. The adult resource explains consecration is a “renewal of our first consecration at Baptism,” in the “particular form of a personal pledge.”
“Today, the Blessed Mother continues to shine forth in the community of believers as the perfect example, icon, and model of what it means to live by faith, to welcome grace, and to cooperate with the Lord in the fulfilment of his plan of salvation,” it says.
“In entrusting ourselves to Mary’s maternal care and protection, we benefit from her intercession, joining our feeble efforts to her powerful prayers and her closeness to Jesus. Mary helps us through her companionship and counsel.”
Last November the Girards traveled to Our Lady of the Cape Shrine near Trois-Rivières, Que., and discovered the pilgrim statue that had visited 340 parishes and institutions before being processed down Ottawa’s Bank Street to the site of the 1947 Marian Congress was still in the Shrine’s archives. It is an exact replica of the miraculous statue at the Shrine. Rector Fr. Pierre Tremblay entrusted the Girards with the statue.
On Mother’s Day, the pilgrim statue will be permanently installed at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Ottawa, the closest parish to the site of the historical congress.