The Most Reverend William E. Koenig, Bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington. Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Wilmington.
In response to an invitation from Pope Francis, William Koenig, Bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington, will join in a prayer of peace for the consecration and entrustment of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Koenig, along with bishops from around the world, will join Pope Francis in the special prayer at 12 p.m. on Friday, March 25, followed by the 12:10 Mass at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Wilmington.
According to The Pillar, a Catholic media project, consecration means setting something apart, dedicating it to a sacred purpose.Â
âThe word is used often in Catholicism: churches are consecrated, sacred vessels are consecrated…men and womenâs religious orders are called âconsecrated life,â and âconsecrationâ is used to describe the sacramental confection of the Eucharist.â
There is also a Catholic devotional custom of private consecration to Christ through Mary, The Pillar explains, by a set of devotional prayers.
On Sunday, March 20 Pope Francis denounced Russiaâs âviolent aggression against Ukraineâ as a âsenseless massacre where every day is repeated atrocitiesâ for which âthere is no justification.âÂ
He said âall the international actorsâ have a duty to âtruly commit themselves to bring an end to this repugnant war.â
âSadly the violent aggression against Ukraine does not slow down,â Pope Francis said.
Itâs not clear whether the Pope will appear via live stream on March 25 and the text of his prayer has not been released as of Monday.
The prayer service and Mass at the Cathedral, located at Sixth and N. West Streets in the historic Quaker Hill section of Wilmington, are open to the public and will be live streamed on the Diocese of Wilmingtonâs YouTube channel.
The Catholic Diocese of Wilmington was established in 1868 and comprises 56 parishes, 18 missions and 27 schools serving the State of Delaware and the nine counties of Marylandâs Eastern Shore.Â
More information about the diocese is available here.
Charlie Megginson covers government and politics for Town Square LIVE News. Reach him at (302) 344-8293 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @cmegginson4.
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