Archbishop Rodi leads local consecration

By ROB HERBST
The Catholic Week
MOBILE — Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi and other bishops in the world took part in Pope Francis' invitation to join him in a moment of prayer, consecrating Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on March 25, entrusting the people of both countries to the care and protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Archbishop Rodi joined the consecration during a morning prayer service at the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, which was open to the public and also livestreamed.
“What we do here this morning, what the Church throughout the world does today, is first and foremost an act of faith, because we believe in the power of God, he said during the ceremony. “And we believe in the power of prayer. Prayer can work wonders beyond our imagination.”
Following the homily, like other prelates around the world, Archbishop Rodi recited the act of consecration for about nine minutes before a statue of Mary.
The March 25 prayer of consecration took place on the feast of the Annunciation of the Lord, when tradition says, the Angel Gabriel visited Mary to tell her she would be the Mother of Christ.
“Remember the last thing Gabriel says to Mary — ‘nothing is impossible with God,’ ” Archbishop Rodi said. “And so truly believing that, we ask Mary to join her prayers with ours, that God will indeed work wonders. We consecrate ourselves, our Church, all humanity and Russia and Ukraine to God, who placed all of us in His hands.”
Mary is the one Pope Francis has offered as an example to deal with the tribulation of war, with uncertainty and darkness, said Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory of Washington during a homily at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, where he led the faithful in the prayer of consecration.
"We come together today in one of the darker moments in human history. We can literally see the war being conducted via our smartphones," he said, watching the path of rockets resulting in the death of defenseless children and the elderly and worrying about the threat of nuclear war.
But in the midst of that, "it is better to welcome a glimmer of light from Christ, our light, than to turn to darkness," he said to a crowd that included about 40 members of various diplomatic missions to the U.S.
Hundreds of the faithful filled Philadelphia's Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul for the act of consecration, led by Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez and Archbishop Borys Gudziak, metropolitan archbishop for Ukrainian Catholics in the U.S.
Some three dozen Catholic clergy of both the Latin rite and the Byzantine rite concelebrated Mass with the two prelates immediately following the act of consecration.
The feast of the Annunciation marks what in Byzantine tradition is known as "the day of the beginning of salvation," when "the Son of God (became) incarnate through the Holy Spirit and the humility of his divine Mother," said Archbishop Gudziak, who preached the homily for the liturgy.
The need for Christ's redemption has been underscored by the suffering from the war in Ukraine, he said.
"Things are clear," said Archbishop Gudziak, who heads the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia. "The danger of evil, the will of the enemy of mankind, the frailty of our human nature is starkly before our eyes."
He admitted that he himself has struggled to pray for Russian persecutors amid that nation's brutal assaults on Ukrainians.
"I'll be frank with you in expressing some of the concerns of the people of Ukraine. Some (ask), 'How can you put the rapist and the one being raped in the same room?' " said Archbishop Gudziak, adding that in noting such questions, "I'm speaking about myself."
Yet such forgiveness is "the spiritual height to which this moment calls us," he said.
Pointing to the global outpouring of support for Ukraine, Archbishop Gudziak also said he believed "never in human history have people of goodwill around the globe been so united."
To date, the Archdiocese of Mobile has raised more than $100,000 for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine and that money has been delivered to Archbishop Gudziak.
- Catholic News Service’s Rhina Guidos contributed to this story.