Is It Wrong to Pray for the Consecration of Russia?
Editor writes…
I’m hearing about a school of thought which argues that, since there is no record of Our Lady asking for prayers for the Consecration of Russia, then it is not right or necessary to pray for this intention – that is not what Our Lady requested. As we enter the Month of Mary, and approach the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima (13 May), it might be useful to explore this issue. My own first thought on the matter is: Why would Our Lady NOT want us to pray for this intention? Your thoughts…
Comments (27)
False.
On June 13, 1929, in the Presence of the Most Holy Trinity, Our Lady said to Sister Lucia:
“The moment has come in which God asks the Holy Father to order and make in union with all the bishops of the world the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart, promising to save it by this means. There are so many souls whom the Justice of God condemns for sins committed against me that I have come to ask reparation: sacrifice yourself for this intention and pray.”
Also, Our Lord Himself dictated to Sister Lucia 2 prayers for this purpose:
“By thy pure and Immaculate Conception, O Mary, obtain for me the consecration of Russia, Spain, Portugal, Europe and the whole world.”
“Sweet Heart of Mary, be the salvation of Russia, Spain, Portugal, Europe and the whole world.”
Obviously those people need to contact the Fatima Center http://www.fatima.org.
I’ve often wondered why Our Lord then added Spain, Portugal, Europe and the whole world, to “Russia”. Is that what is causing some people to be confused?
Marjory,
Me, too – I’ve wondered that every time I hear that quoted.
On this occasion, as Our Lord was addressing Sister Lucia personally regarding her prayers, it seems natural that He should mention Spain and Portugal: (a) because she was Portuguese, and (b) because she was living in Spain (Rianjo) at the time He gave her this message. However, both prayers can easily be adapted for your own personal use to include Russia, wherever you live, neighbouring countries, and the whole world. https://fatima.org/the-apparition-at-rianjo-1931
Very well said, Margaret Mary.
Sorry, Margaret USA!
Petrus,
To be fair, Margaret Mary would have said it very well, too, LOL!
I don’t know where this ‘school of thought’ gets its information – if it has even looked for any. At Fatima on July 13, 1917 Our Lady told the seers “I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communions of Reparation on the first Saturdays.”
Our Lady kept Her promise and appeared at Tuy on 13 June 1929 to Sister Lucia and said ‘The moment has come in which God asks the Holy Father to make, in union with all the bishops of the world, the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart, promising to save it by this means. So numerous are the souls which the justice of God condemns for sins committed against Me, that I come to ask for reparation. Sacrifice yourself for this intention and pray.’
All this can be found in Sister Lucia’s official Memoirs Volume 1.
WF,
that is clear enough – I had forgotten that last bit about “sacrifice yourself and pray for this intention”, re the consecration of Russia. That’s the answer then.
I agree with everything said so far. It is not wrong and Our Lady did ask us to pray for this intention.
The person who initially expressed this view is, I believe, well meaning. I don’t know what makes them think it is an issue, because there are plenty of things we pray for that Our Lady has not expressly requested so with something of such monumental importance, it would seem obvious to pray for its fulfilment. Just as we will be praying for an end to the Ukraine/Russia war, without any express desire coming from Heaven.
Of course, it is true that God would not have made such a request of the Popes and bishops through Our Lady without providing the necessary grace to those with responsibility for the Consecration (said Pope and bishops) so we are really praying for additional graces for those prelates to see clearly the importance of obeying the Fatima request for the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, urgently.
Editor,
I think people are so confused about everything these days, so I believe it when you say this person is well meaning. We can’t blame people for becoming mixed up when the whole Fatima message is being distorted in so many ways.
According to the late Fr. Malachi Martin – who actually read the Third Secret – among other things it mentions “Kiev and Russia” (his words). And Suzanne Pearson in her talk at the 2013 Fatima Center conference said that PJPII told a group of Catholics in Germany (Fulda, 1980) that the Third Secret was not revealed “..so as not to encourage the world powers of Communism to make certain territorial moves” (apologies if that’s a bit incorrect; going by memory here). So that may be another reason why it hasn’t been revealed. If that IS the case, then Pope Francis should at least tell His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk. Good friends don’t keep good friends in the dark.
Is there any country in the world which is already successfully consecrated, in the correct manner and following the right instructions, which is currently enjoying peace and prosperity?
Pete,
If you can name a country that is enjoying peace and prosperity, we can take it from there, LOL!
I don’t see the Pope and Bishops joining forces to consecrate “any country in the world” in the correct manner, etc. if they won’t do it for Russia when ordered to do so by Our Lady!
Thank you Josephine,
I thought perhaps Poland or maybe Hungary had been consecrated but as the Editor, Michael, you and others have helpfully explained –
The consecration of Russia to the Immaculate heart has been requested, and the Pope and Bishops must do this to defeat Russian communism and also for the salvation of souls.
However, first we must pray to God and ask Our Lady to intercede also, so that the Pope and Bishops might have a change of heart and carry out the consecration again, but in the correct manner this time.
And if this happens there will then be a period of global peace and many in Russia will be converted because of the consecration.
I must confess, it does seem like a very complicated and confusing process and I remain unsure where Jesus’s saving work on the cross sirs is all this?
Pete
Our Lady told us at Fatima “God wills to establish devotion to My Immaculate Heart in the world”. If God wills it, then it cannot be contrary to Our Lord’s salvific action on the cross, indeed it is a continuation of the graces won for us on Calvary, coming to us through Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Graces. Take a look at a representation of the apparition to Sr Lucia given at Tuy, Spain in 1929. https://gloria.tv/post/3gobzmVhieGYBv3wHZj9Jc9ke It is clearly Trinitarian, Christocentric, Eucharistic and Marian. In a certain sense, it sums up the whole Fatima message. There is enough in that one image to meditate on for hours.
Westminsterfly,
The need for consecration of Russians, seems like an entirely new law or a new commandment?
Of course our human cooperation and human free will are important. But wasn’t the sacrifice on Calvary sufficient enough?
My understanding was that our invitation to redemption was received from God as a free gift, accepted without having to do specific things.
We contributed nothing, All the work of salvation was done by Jesus on the cross for the sake of us sinners.
Indeed, now it turns out we need to do all this other new work for salvation like consecrations etc … for ourselves and for our own salvation but for others salvation too? Such as those in Russia who have experienced no conversion of the heart or made no effort to come to know Jesus and his Church.
It feels all very legalistic and transactional and Jesus seems quite redundant
Didn’t St Paul say in Philippians about how we should “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling” – well now we have an extra God-given help – the message of Fatima – to assist us to do just that. Jesus is God made Man. How can He be redundant from a message for the world, which He Himself has given through His Mother? Perhaps you will find the answer in here:- https://fatima.org/do-not-despise-prophecy
Dear friends
In short the answer is yes, we should continue to pray for the consecration of Russia.
For the outcome is one required by Heaven ie. the salvation of souls which is the highest law of the Church.
This is the reason for our faith and the reason our Saviour gave his life. That salvific desire for the salvation and redemption of mankind continues till the end of time. The consecration operates within that greater Divine context.
Every blessing
Michael 🙏
Some people are still saying that the consecration won’t happen until a sufficient number of Catholics have made the First Five Saturdays, so praying for it won’t change a thing.
My problem with that is that how would we know what is a “sufficient number”?
Laura
I have always felt that that part of the request might be as hard to fulfil as the one required by the Pope and bishops although I am only going by what I have seen in the Galloway Diocese. As far as I am aware, the last one ended here a few months before Covid
So I would guess that a sufficient number is a long way off (probably years) from where we are now.
It is hard to fill a pail with water by only using your fists and then putting one hand behind your back.
Laura,
I’ve heard people say that but I don’t believe it. I think it lets successive popes off the hook!
The question asked here if it is wrong to pray for the conversion of Russia, the answer to this is of course not.
But I have noticed recently that some people when perhaps announcing intentions for the Rosary or perhaps worrying about the crisis in the Church say we must pray for the Consecration as Our Lady asked for at Fatima.
I may be nit picking but I think the Message of Fatima is so much more. I am sure most people on the blog here do not need to be reminded of all the things that happened, Westminsterfly has indeed in some of his posts done so.
But for the sake of clarification, if I may I would like to reiterate some things to explain what I mean,
1 On 13th June 1917, Our Lady first mentioned that God wishes to establish devotion to her Immaculate Heart
2 on 13th July 1917 after the vision of Hell she said ” You have seen Hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart.” She then continued to speak of the request for the Consecration and said she would come at a later date to ask for this and the Communion of Reparation. She also spoke of the ending of the war but if people don’t amend their lives another war would break out and many nations would be annihilated. She then spoke of the consequences if her wishes were carried out. She then gave the “third secret” and promised Sr Lucy that she would return in October to perform a miracle to demonstrate the veracity of the apparition.
3 On 13th October Her final apparition to the three children she said “people must amend their lives, ask pardon for their sins they must not offend Our Lord any more He is already too much offended, pray the Rosary every day.”
4 On 10 December in Pontevedra, She appeared to Sr Lucy and explained and requested the Communion of Reparation of the First Five Saturdays.
It appears to me that this is what Our Lady was asking of us.
The request for the Consecration was for the Pope and bishops. Ok I agree that this has not been done as Our Lady requested but there is nothing we can do except pray for a change of hearts for them.
I hope this clarifies what I mean and I hope I have not been too longwinded in explaining how I see it.
If we just speak of the Consecration it let’s us off the hook for all that Our Lady asked of us.
Further I cannot find any evidence that Our Lady made it a condition that if sufficient numbers do the First Saturdays the Consecration will be done. I do not know where this came from.
I agree that the Devil is doing his best to sew confusion, I hope I have not assisted him by this post!
I can see your reasoning but although there is a lot of devotional side to Fatima, the central message seems to me to be both the revealing of the Third Secret by 1960 and the Consecration of Russia to convert Russia and bring world peace.
You are correct to say that all we can do is pray for the grace of a change of heart in the Pope and bishops, at least the Pope, because the bishops would have to do what they are told, but that is what the other bloggers have been saying as well, so there is nobody wrong here, LOL!
I don’t think it’s about “if we just speak of the Consecration” etc. as if that is not that important, because that is a command from God to bring about world peace and convert Russia – really important, and we must remember that devotions are not commanded by the Church. Our Lady said that even “the good” have not heeded her message so it is possible to be saved even if (God forbid) we don’t do the First Saturdays etc. but the Consecration is really central to the Fatima message and IMHO it is a matter of urgency that we pray for the Pope and bishops to act upon the graces God has definitely given them to do this important action.
I do agree with you about the “sufficient number” – that is one of the most ridiculous claims I’ve ever heard.
I know I can be longwinded too, so I hope this is clear enough, LOL!
N O T I C E . .
I have been asked to post the following advertisement.
Public Rosary in honour of Our Lady of Fatima will be on Saturday 13th May 2023 at 2pm opposite St Andrew’s Cathedral, 196 Clyde Street, Glasgow G1 4JY This will also incorporate special visit to Glasgow of the Pilgrim Statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary organised by UKPrays.org
Any further information can be obtained by calling 01412589284.
I encourage all who can manage to attend, to support this initiative…
N O T I C E . . .
One of my Great Nephews (home-schooled) is trying to find a private tutor to help him with his Maths work. If anyone is interested, or knows anyone who is interested, please ring 07747075095
Thank you!