70th Anniversary of Germany’s Consecration to the Immaculate Heart
The following is the text of the consecration of Germany to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, recited by Archbishop Joseph Cardinal Frings of Cologne at the Fulda Catholic Congress on Saturday, September 4.
The Text of the Consecration Prayer of September 4, 1954
It is truly fitting and just that we praise You, Holy Father, eternal God, Lord of heaven and earth, with the deep joy of our hearts; for You have not rejected us, the children of Eve lost through Adam’s sin, but have sent Your much-loved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, from heaven to the womb of Mary, the purest Virgin. To her, the Immaculate Conception, You announced the message through the angel’s mouth; You found her ready as Your most faithful servant. - Praise and thanks be to You for giving her to us as our Mother through Your Son and for having received her gloriously with body and soul into heaven upon the completion of her pilgrimage.
To her, the refuge of the human race, we, the envoys from all the tribes of our German people, raise our souls full of trust at the tomb of our holy patron, Your Bishop and martyr Boniface. We dedicate ourselves to her Immaculate Heart so that we may love You, our Lord and God, as she loved You: with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength. To her, we dedicate our families; we commend our people to her maternal protection: this people with its sins and needs, with its hope and readiness.
Thus we beseech You, Holy Father: Fill us with Your Holy Spirit, with whose power You overshadowed her soul, so that we may speak every day of our lives with her: Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Through her mighty intercession, we commend to You the fate of our German people: Receive it in grace, make us a branch of Your holy people. Turn away, O God of mercy, our distress. End the division of our homeland. Let our sisters and brothers, who are still in exile [Note: prisoners of war], return home. Grant us unity in faith. Let all who no longer know that they are Your children turn back. Grant us and the whole world harmony and peace. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.