A Call to Prayer

An Urgent Appeal From Mother Regina Marie, OCD
  To All of Our Friends,

Praised be Jesus Christ!

This special e-mail is a Call to Prayer.  It concerns the recent HHS health insurance mandate. By now you have certainly heard about it. This mandate cannot be taken lightly. It violates our deepest ethical, moral values. We Catholics cannot in good conscience follow this mandate. Because of the seriousness of this threat to our religious freedom, the time has come to join together – all of us – in prayer. That is exactly what our Catholic Bishops of the United States are asking us to do.


FROM THE U.S. CATHOLIC BISHOPS:
“We call upon the Catholic faithful, and all people of faith, throughout our country to join us in prayer and penance for our leaders and for the complete protection of our First Freedom—religious liberty—which is not only protected in the laws and customs of our great nation, but rooted in the teachings of our great Tradition. Prayer is the ultimate source of our strength—for without God, we can do nothing; but with God, all things are possible.” (United for Religious Freedom, A Statement of the Administrative Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, March 14, 2012).

The Carmelite Sisters invite all persons of good will to join with us in praying a novena beginning on March 25 and ending on April 2, 2012 in response to the Obama Insurance mandate which seriously threatens the religious freedom and conscience rights of United States citizens.  Together with many others throughout our country, the Carmelite Sisters are observing these nine days of prayer and fasting during the month of March, asking Our Lady to intercede for our country. We are asking Mary, Patroness of the United States of America, to implore God’s loving mercy on us at this critical time.  We ask you to join us in saying the following prayer every day for the nine days, together with some form of personal fasting. Thank you and God bless you.

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Act of Consecration of the United States to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
      Most Holy Trinity: Our Father in heaven, who chose Mary as the fairest of your daughters; Holy Spirit, who chose Mary as your spouse; God the Son, who chose Mary as your Mother; in union with Mary, we adore your majesty and acknowledge your supreme, eternal dominion and authority.
      Most Holy Trinity, we put the United States of America into the hands of Mary Immaculate in order that she may present the country to you. Through her we wish to thank you for the great resources of this land and for the freedom, which has been its heritage. Through the intercession of Mary, have mercy on the Catholic Church in America. Grant us peace. Have mercy on our president and on all the officers of our government. Grant us a fruitful economy born of justice and charity. Have mercy on capital and industry and labor. Protect the family life of the nation. Guard the precious gift of many religious vocations. Through the intercession of our Mother, have mercy on the sick, the poor, the tempted, sinners - on all who are in need.
      Mary, Immaculate Virgin, our Mother, Patroness of our land, we praise you and honor you and give our country and ourselves to your sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. O Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pierced by the sword of sorrow prophesied by Simeon, save us from degeneration, disaster and war. Protect us from all harm. O Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, you who bore the sufferings of your Son in the depths of your heart, be our advocate. Pray for us, that acting always according to your will and the will of your divine Son, we may live and die pleasing to God. Amen.

(Imprimatur, Patrick Cardinal O'Boyle, Archbishop of Washington, 1959, for public consecration of the United States to the Immaculate Heart of Mary; renewed by U.S. Bishops, November 11, 2006)