Renata Steffens
Bishop Donal McKeown. Photo: Chai Brady Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown is starting a 33-day journey of prayer towards the Consecration to Jesus Christ through Mary today. The prayer will happen online each evening at 7 pm and should take around fifteen minutes.
The 33 days of prayer will happen from the week following the Baptism of the Lord until the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, February 11.
For this consecration journey, the bishop will use the book Child Consecration to Jesus through Mary: Following in the Spirit of St Thérèse, the Little Flower, by Blythe Kaufman. The prayers will be led by the bishop on some evenings and by invited priests on others.
The transmission will take place from the priests’ homes or parishes, but the last day will happen on February 11 in St Eugene’s Cathedral, Derry and transmitted via webcam.
The 33-day prayer is inspired by an initiative of “Bishop John Keenan from Scotland, who did it during lockdown,” Bishop McKeown said. “We’re trying to do it in our context here, especially as pilgrims of hope”.
Bishop McKeown said the “danger of events” is seeing them as isolated events. These 33 days should be seen as part of a whole in the diocese’s Jubilee Year’s actions.
Bishop McKeown said this ‘Child Consecration’ is part of the diocese’s actions to become Pilgrims of Hope in 2025. “In an age when there’s so much sadness and so much darkness and gloom out there, to be these Pilgrims of Hope that Pope Francis calls us to be.”
Bishop Donal is focusing this Consecration journey on encouraging family prayer. He invites individuals and families from the diocese to join him and extends the invitation to anyone outside the Diocese of Derry who may wish to join.