On Friday, May 1, the bishops of Canada and the United States will be reconsecrating their respective nations to the care and protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Both Bishops’ Conferences have announced that their countries will be reconsecrated to our Lady under the title “Mary, Mother of the Church”.
Each year, during the month of May, the Church seeks the special intercession of the Mother of God. The Pope highlighted this in a letter that he sent to all the faithful last Friday, calling for renewed Marian devotion.
In a letter to his brother Bishops, the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, wrote that “this year, we seek the assistance of Our Lady all the more earnestly as we face together the effects of the global pandemic”.
The title “Mary, Mother of the Church” was given to the Blessed Mother by Pope St. Paul VI at the Second Vatican Council. In 2018, Pope Francis added the feast of “Mary, Mother of the Church” to the Church’s liturgical calendar, with the rank of a memorial.
Shortly after this announcement, the bishops of Italy announced that they would also be reconsecrating their country to the protection of the Virgin Mary, after having received over 300 letters asking them to do so. Vatican News
