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CV NEWS FEED // On Divine Mercy Sunday, the Philippines became the first nation to be formally consecrated to Jesus through Divine Mercy, standing as a sign of hope and faith for the world amid global challenges.
According to an April 28 article from Catholic News, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) approved the initiative after receiving a heartfelt letter from a local priest, who called for the consecration as a means of total surrender to the Lord.
Father James Cervantes of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception wrote in an April 27 article from the Inquirer Plus that he believes the Lord will bestow many graces upon the Philippines in its consecration to His divine love.
“We, as a nation, will place ourselves entirely in the Lord’s care with complete trust and confidence in His love,” Fr. Cervantes wrote. “In doing so, He will pour out treasures of grace upon us.”
The April 28 article stated that parishes across the country were expected to take part in the consecration during Masses celebrated on Divine Mercy Sunday.
One such Mass took place at the San Carlos Seminary, in Makati, Philippines, and commenced with the recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet. According to a post on the Facebook page Marian Helpers, Philippines, participants also had the opportunity to venerate relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Faustina, and St. Pope John Paul II.
Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, president of the CBCP said that the nation’s consecration is a powerful profession of faith, the Inquirer Plus reported.
“This national act of consecration is intended as a collective response of faith and hope in the face of many grave challenges confronting our people and the world today,” Cardinal David said in the article. “This nationwide consecration will be a profound expression of our trust in the Divine Mercy — a trust that remains our final refuge in these times of uncertainty and trial.”
