'Mercy Came Through Mary'

Since the early 1700s, Catholics around the world have embraced St. Louis de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary. Many of them complete the 33-day preparation that St. Louis developed, including Catholics in the Diocese of Evansville.

On Oct. 13 – the 99th anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun in Fatima, Father Gordon Mann and five brother priests of the diocese led Eucharistic adoration and concelebrated Mass at the St. Mary Campus of Sts. Mary and John Parish in Evansville to complete a preparation for Total Consecration. Those in attendance joined Father Mann, pastor of Sts. Mary and John, and his brother priests in praying the Prayer of Total Consecration at the conclusion of Mass.

“Mercy came through Mary,” Father Mann said during his homily. “She was the instrument of God’s grace to begin the process of our redemption. When she said yes to Gabriel, she set in motion the mercy of God coming to us. What Mary did was allow us to see with our own eyes the heart of God’s mercy.

“If God allowed his mercy to come through her,” he added, “he will give us everything we need to grow in faith through her.”

Father Mann concelebrated Mass with Father Dusty Burns, pastor of Corpus Christi Parish in Evansville and St. Philip Parish in Posey County, Father Biju Thomas, associate pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Haubstadt, St. James Parish in Haubstadt and Holy Cross Parish in Fort Branch, father Donald Dilger, retired priest of the Diocese of Evansville, Father Chris Forler, pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Daylight and Father Tony Ernst, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul, St. James and Holy Cross parishes.

Deacons Charlie Koressel, Dennis Russell and Ed Wilkerson assisted.