On the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Father Francis, in communion with the entire Church, performed an act of consecration of the entire humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He did this during a penitential service in St. Peter's Basilica at 5 p.m. In a letter addressed to all the episcopates of the world, the Pope wrote: "Nearly a month has passed since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine that is daily inflicting immense suffering upon its sorely tried people and threatening world peace. At this dark hour, the Church is urgently called to intercede before the Prince of Peace and to demonstrate her closeness to those directly affected by the conflict. I am grateful to the many people who have responded with great generosity to my appeals for prayer, fasting and charity. (…) This Act of Consecration is meant to be a gesture of the universal Church, which in this dramatic moment lifts up to God, through his Mother and ours, the cry of pain of all those who suffer and implore an end to the violence, and to entrust the future of our human family to the Queen of Peace. I ask you to join in this Act by inviting the priests, religious and faithful to assemble in their churches and places of prayer on March 25th, so that God’s Holy People may raise a heartfelt and choral plea to Mary our Mother.”
Together with Pope Francis, the act of entrustment was performed by the episcopates of the world, as well as parishes scattered throughout the world. The parish of St. John Brebeuf in Niles in the Archdiocese of Chicago also participated in this act. The ceremony led by the parish priest Fr Zdzisław Torba began with the Stations of the Cross celebrated throughout the streets of Niles with the participation of young people, children from the parish school, American and Polish organizations from the Chicago and Niles areas. The length of the Stations of the Cross was about two kilometers and the stations were located in different districts of the city. Despite strong wind and the temperature around zero Celsius the service was attended by approximately 1,000 faithful and lasted for about two hours. The ceremony was held in two languages: English and Polish.
After the Stations of the Cross in the main Church, the act of consecration of humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary took place in front of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima. Fr Krzysztof Wieliczko, OSPPE, Administrator of the John Paul II Foundation in the Vatican, read it in two languages, English and Polish. Afterwards, the solemn Holy Mass was celebrated by Fr Przemysław Tomczyk together with Fr Zdzisław Torba, Fr Sławomir Kurc and Fr Krzysztof Wieliczko.
After the Mass, the defenders of human life, together with other parish organizations, prayed together in front of the Blessed Sacrament, praying for peace in the world, and especially in Ukraine.
