CV NEWS FEED // In response to a satanic worship ritual that is set to take place at the Kansas State Capitol March 28, the archbishop of Kansas City is going to reconsecrate the state to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary on March 25.
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann will reconsecrate Kansas during the celebration of Holy Mass at 5:30 p.m. CT March 25 — the Solemnity of the Annunciation — at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, according to the archdiocesan website. It is a special Mass for expectant parents, and all are welcome to attend.
In a March 14 Facebook post about how the faithful can respond to the sacrilege, Archbishop Naumann urged for everyone “to respond first and foremost with prayer for the spiritual conversion of those taking part in this mockery of our Catholic faith and the beliefs of all Christians.”
The archdiocese also encourages Catholics to pray the Individual Consecration Prayer to consecrate themselves to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The prayer can be found at the bottom of this archdiocesan webpage. The archdiocese also encourages Catholics to perform acts of charity March 28.
The faithful are invited to attend a Eucharistic Holy Hour and Mass March 28 at Topeka-based Assumption Church, which is directly across from the Capitol building. The Eucharistic Holy Hour will begin at 11 a.m. CT; Mass will begin at noon.
On the archdiocesan website, the faithful are also encouraged to contact Gov. Laura Kelly and other elected officials and urge them to disallow the sacrilege from taking place. The archdiocese provides links to contact the governor, the Kansas Senate President, and the Kansas Speaker of the House.
Michael Stewart, one of the ritual’s organizers, previously said the ritual is a pro-abortion protest against the Kansas Legislature, which he said has heeded pro-life groups such as the Kansas Catholic Conference, as CatholicVote previously reported. The satanic ritual was originally going to take place inside the state capitol, until the governor ordered for all events March 28 to take place outdoors.
Kelly said in a March 12 statement that because the right to protest is protected by the Constitution, her office is limited in the authority to respond. She said that as governor she has “a duty to protect protesters’ constitutional rights to freedom of speech and expression, regardless of how offensive or distasteful I might find the content to be.”
In a March 13 email statement to CatholicVote, Archbishop Naumann expressed his dismay over the governor’s response.
“We are deeply disappointed that such blasphemous acts that are intended to mock Catholic worship, the beliefs of all Christians, and those who believe in the one true God, are being allowed on the Kansas Statehouse grounds,” he said. “Despite this act of bigotry from a small minority who crave public attention by insulting Christians, we know that Satan is powerless against Jesus Christ.
“We pray to the one true God for enlightenment for those who have given themselves over to the father of lies and prince of darkness. We pray for their conversion, hoping that they will come to know the God who has loved them into existence.”