At the conclusion of Masses on Saturday, September 14 and Sunday, September 15, Father Kevin M. Bazzel will lead us in renewing our parish’s consecration to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary – calling to mind the original consecration that he lead the parish in on September 15, 2012.
To prepare for this most important moment, Father Jerabek is encouraging everyone to take part in a Preparatory Novena from Friday, September 6 to Saturday, September 14. You can download a booklet here in a format that works well for devices like phones and tablets, and here in a format that can be printed and folded into a booklet.
Read below to learn more about Marian consecration, its history at the Cathedral, and how best to prepare for and benefit from this upcoming opportunity!
ABOUT MARIAN CONSECRATION
To consecrate a person is to set him or her apart for a holy purpose and place his or her life on a new trajectory — to heaven. We were first consecrated at our baptism. On that day the life of God, which we call grace, was poured into our souls; we were washed clean of Original Sin (and any Actual Sin we may have committed, if baptized after the age of reason); we became sons and daughters of God; we were dedicated to his service in his holy Church. But because of our ongoing struggle with concupiscence — the tendency toward sin — and also because of our lack of resolve at different times in our lives in following the Lord’s way, it behooves us occasionally to renew our consecration. We do this principally and liturgically at Easter, when we renew our baptismal vows, rejecting Satan and professing faith in the Triune God. Many Christians have found other acts of consecration helpful to their spirituality as well. Marian consecration is one such special act.
When we consecrate ourselves to Jesus through Mary, we pledge to follow her example of a Christian life perfectly lived. Our Blessed Mother was full of grace from the first moment of her existence and was always pleasing to God. She always made the best choices and never once wavered in her resolve. While those qualities might make her seem so distant from us, in fact we have always found her to be very close. She has never hesitated to condescend and enter into our struggles to help us, just as she did not hesitate to stand at the foot of the Cross as her Son hung there dying. Marian consecration is a means of renewing our resolve to live out our baptismal vows, taking the Blessed Virgin Mary as our model and guide.
MARIAN CONSECRATION AT THE CATHEDRAL OF SAINT PAUL
On September 15, 2012, the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, Father Kevin M. Bazzel, then-Rector, led a consecration of the parish to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Parishioners prepared for this great event by praying a novena and receiving the Sacrament of Confession. As part of the ceremony, Father Bazzel placed a votive heart on our statue of the Blessed Mother, containing a hand-written scroll with a remembrance of “all past, present, and future parishioners” on it and the names of parishioners registered at that time. Very soon after completing the consecration, many in the parish noticed great blessings resulting from it. It is our privilege and duty on this 12th anniversary of that felicitous event in the history of our parish to prepare ourselves and renew our consecration, welcoming back Father Bazzel to lead us in it, with gratitude to our Blessed Mother.
HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE RENEWAL OF CONSECRATION
All are invited to renew (or make for the first time!) the parish consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and share in the benefits thereof. Follow these steps to do so:
1. Think about what special graces you wish to ask of God through the consecration and pray for them daily in the novena (see next step).
2. Pray the novena prayer (back page) daily from September 6 to 14. If you miss a day by mistake, do not get discouraged, but resume the novena immediately with trust in Our Lady’s care and intercession.
3. Make a good sacramental confession — especially if you have not been recently (in the last month) or if you currently need to go. Extra confession times are listed below. Regular confession is a sure means of spiritual progress and of effectively living out our baptism.
4. Come to any of the weekend Masses September 14-15, and join in praying the consecration prayer at the conclusion (to be provided).
5. Strive each day thereafter to live out your consecration as a son or daughter of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose only goal is to lead us into a deeper relationship with her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
6. Wait and see how God chooses to answer your prayers (see step 1) and what graces he will give to you, your family, and our parish!
7. Remember the consecration day and celebrate it each year with thanksgiving to God and our Blessed Mother.
Q. Do I have to be a member of the Cathedral to take part?
A. All are welcome to benefit from this spiritual exercise – whether members or not!
Q. I have already done another Marian consecration. Can I do this one too?
A. Absolutely! It is always good to renew one’s baptismal commitment with Mary’s help.
Q. I am not seeing this until after the novena began – or I missed a day. Can I still take part?
A. Absolutely! Just do your best to pray the part you missed. It’s not a magic formula. Our Lady is a good and generous mother. Think of the parable of the day laborers from the gospel: those that arrived late to work got paid the same amount as the ones that started early. Let’s not let anything get in the way of taking part in this special moment of grace!
EXTRA CONFESSION TIMES DURING NOVENA OF PREPARATION, SEPT. 6-14
Our normal confession schedule at the Cathedral is Monday-Friday, 11:30am-12:000pm; Saturday, 3:00pm-4:30pm; and, ordinarily, on Sundays, during the 8:30am and 11:00am Masses.
To help facilitate opportunities for everyone to receive the sacrament during the preparation for re-consecration, Father Jerabek has added the following early-morning times as well:
Friday, September 6: 6:30am-8:00am
Monday, September 9: 6:30am-8:00am
Tuesday, September 10: 6:30am-8:00am
Wednesday, September 11: 6:30am-8:00am
Thursday, September 12: 6:30am-8:00am
Friday, September 13: 6:30am-8:00am
Take advantage of this great opportunity!
The following Examination of Consciences for Adults provided by Ascension Press may be useful: LINK
NOVENA PRAYER
The daily novena prayer of preparation may be found in the Preparation Booklet:
FORMAT SUITED TO SMARTPHONES/TABLETS
FORMAT SUITED TO PRINTING AND FOLDING
All are welcome to join us in this moment of grace! Invite your friends to take part also!
CONSECRATION PRAYER
Some have said that they will not be able to join us in person this weekend due to previous plans. Here is the PRAYER OF CONSECRATION THAT FATHER BAZZEL WILL RECITE: please consider printing it and reciting it with your family after Mass, wherever you attend this Sunday.
The Cathedral of Saint Paul 