Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Madrid (Agenzia Fides) – Next Sunday, June 21, 2009, a ceremony will be held at Cerro de los Angeles, in Getafe (Madrid), for the renewal of Spain's Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 90 years after it was first consecrated. The event will be presided by the President of the Spanish Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Antonia Maria Rouco Varela of Madrid, along with many Bishops and thousands of faithful from all the dioceses of Spain. On Sunday morning, there will be a Prayer Vigil with youth from all over Spain at the Shrine's Basilica, organized by “Jovenes por el Reino de Cristo” (Youth for the Christ's Kingdom), with the support of the Youth Ministry Department of the Bishops' Conference.
This year, in fact, marks the 90th anniversary of Spain's first consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, carried out by King Alfonso XIII, which took place on May 30, 1919, at the Monument that marks the geographic center of Spain, “Cerro de los Angeles.” The consecration prayer acknowledges Jesus as the “Redeemer of the World,” “King of Kings,” the font of all power and foundation of all just laws, and publicaly and solemnly expresses the desire that He may reign “in the hearts of men, in homes, in the intelligence of the learned, in classrooms, and in our country's laws and institutions.”
In honor of this event, Bishop Joaquin Lopez de Andujar of Getafe (the Diocese which is home to Cerro de los Angeles), decided to renew the Consecration. Given that it is an event that goes beyond merely the dioceses, as it is a national consecration, Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco, President, extended the invitation in the last Plenary Assembly to all the Bishops and faithful of Spain who can attend.
Thus, many associations, movements, and institutions with specific devotion to the Sacred Heart, along with the coordinators of Cerro de los Angeles and the Diocese of Madrid, have organized and promoted a week of reflection and prayer on the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which will end with the Mass and renewal of the Consecration of Spain to the Sacred Heart, on June 21.
According to the activity program for June 15-18, from 7-9pm there will be a Mass, homily, and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, presided by Auxiliary Bishops of Madrid Cesar Augusto Franco Martínez, Fidel Herráez Vegas, and Juan Antonio Martínez Camino, and Bishop Juan Antonio Reig Pla of Alcalá de Henares. On Friday, June 19, feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, there will be 12 Masses said almost every hour on the hour from 7am to 8:30pm. The Masses at 1pm and 8:30pm will be presided, respectively, by Bishop Joaquin Lopez Andujar of Getafe and Bishop Rafael Zornoza Boy, Auxiliary Bishop of Getafe.
On Saturday, June 20, there will be a Youth Prayer Vigil beginning at 12 midnight, going throughout the night, presided by Bishop Jose Ignacio Munilla of Palencia, Chair of the Youth Ministry Department of the Spanish Bishops' Conference. During the Vigil, the Youth Delegations from the Diocese of Madrid will renew the consecration made by the youth of Madrid on that same site on June 6, 2008, at the Closing of the Youth Mission (“Mision Joven”), which ran 2006-2008, and making an international commitment with the organization for the upcoming World Youth Day 2011. The youth group “Youth for Christ's Kingdom” - the youth sector of the group Apostolate of Prayer – has invited all the youth delegations from all over Spain to participate in the Vigil. In there invitation, they affirm that “among the many things that we know that we can and must do in these difficult and impressive moments of our history is pray, pray together, so that in casting their gaze upon the open side of Christ, our brothers may know and discover that God is Love.”
On Sunday, June 21, there will be Lauds celebrated at 8am, presided by Bishop Francisco Cerro Chaves of Coria-Caceres, also among the leaders of the Youth Ministry Department of the CEE. At 10am, there will be a Pontifical Mass presided by Cardinal Antonio Rouco Varela, concelebrated by various Bishops and numerous priests. During the Mass, there will be the renewal of the Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in addition to the prayer for the Jubilee of Saint Paul and the Proclamation of the Year of the Priest. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 2/6/2009)
