Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

I just returned from our cathedral where the archbishop, along with the Pope in Rome at 5pm Rome time consecrated Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It was very well attended. Every second pew is off-limits and with this limitation the large cathedral-basilica was full of people.

It was a holy and blessed time and showed that all bishops from around the world are joining together along with the Holy Father to pray for peace in that troubled part of the world.

The archbishop spoke about how we must live out peace in our own daily lives and that this was our real way of contributing peace to the world as a whole. This is better than vaguely "hoping" for peace in the world. We must be instruments of peace.

To that end, we invoked the intercession primarily of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as sung the prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi asking that we be instruments of God's peace in the world.

Let us all pray that these prayers may deliver Russia and Ukraine from war and the world in general.