ORLANDO, Fla. (OSV News) -- The second day of public sessions at the U.S. bishops' spring plenary culminated with the much anticipated consecration of the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus during a late afternoon Mass June 11 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe.
After concluding their public session agenda, the bishops left the Omni Resort in ChampionsGate for a half-hour drive up Interstate 4 to the spiritual refuge that is the shrine.
The Mass was a momentous one as it served to formally consecrate the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The relics of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque -- the French Visitation sister who experienced visions of Jesus revealing his Sacred Heart -- were also present at the Mass, on loan from the Knights of Columbus for the consecration.
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, incensed the altar after processing in from the thick humidity and cloudy skies of a typical Orlando afternoon outside the shrine. "Clothe us, Lord God, with the virtues of the heart of your son, and set us aflame with his love," he prayed in opening the Mass.
The Sacred Heart reconciles divisions and transforms hardened hearts, Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore said in his homily. He described consecration as an act of faith and acknowledgment of the need for God's mercy, wisdom and guidance, and also an act of hope.
"To consecrate ourselves to the Sacred Heart is ultimately to accept Christ's invitation to remain in His love and to allow that love to shape every aspect of our lives, public and private," Archbishop Lori said. "It is a declaration that the future does not belong merely to political movements, economic forces, or human plans. The future belongs to God."
Like the previous day, the June 11 public session began with prayer, followed by Archbishop Coakley congratulating two prelates on the anniversaries of their priestly ordinations:
- Archbishop Gabriele G. Caccia, the Italian-born apostolic nuncio to the U.S., who was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Milan on June 11, 1983.
- Retired Bishop James A. Tamayo, first bishop of Laredo, Texas (2000-2026), who was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas, on June 11, 1976.
Archbishop Coakley also noted the day marked the 75th anniversary of the episcopal ordination of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, who is "soon to be Blessed Fulton Sheen." Appointed an auxiliary bishop for New York, he was ordained a bishop in Rome on June 11, 1951. Archbishop Sheen will be beatified Sept. 24 at a Mass in St. Louis.
In their first votes of the day, the bishops approved portions of two texts: a new edition of the Lectionary for Mass, which provides the Scripture readings and psalm for each day's liturgy; and the 2025 Roman Missal-Liturgy of the Hours Supplement.
The bishops then approved several updates to their landmark document on protection policies for children and minors, seeking to define key terms while balancing care for victim-survivors with accused clergy's right to a presumption of innocence until proven otherwise.
The revisions, preliminarily introduced June 10 during the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' spring plenary assembly in Orlando, passed by a two-thirds vote June 11 after a period of debate.
The changes will keep the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People" focused "exclusively" on clergy abuse of minors, with a new document being developed to address abuse involving vulnerable adults, said Bishop Barry C. Knestout of Richmond, Virginia, chairman of the USCCB's Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People, in presenting the proposed revisions June 10.
Next, Bishop Oscar Cantú of San Jose, California, chairman of the bishops' Subcommittee on Hispanic/Latino Affairs, addressed his fellow bishops about preparations for the 500th anniversary of Our Lady of Guadalupe's appearance to St. Juan Diego in five years. U.S. dioceses will be participating in the Novena Intercontinental Guadalupana (Intercontinental Guadalupan Novena).
Four years ago, the Mexican Episcopal Conference began a "Novena of Years" in anticipation of the quincentennial, and they have invited all dioceses throughout the Americas to join them for the remaining five years leading to the quincentennial.
Catechetical materials already being used in Mexico are in the process of being translated into English for use in the United States, Bishop Cantú said.
Bishop William A. Wack of Pensacola-Tallahassee gave a presentation to the bishops on the Catholic Prison Ministry Coalition, urging his brother bishops to deepen their commitment to prison ministry. Joining him in the presentation was executive director Robert Cunningham, who highlighted the coalition's mission to support ministry for people affected by incarceration and detention.
Bishop Wack said his own involvement in prison ministry began during seminary formation as a Holy Cross priest, even though the work initially intimidated him. He started in youth detention facilities, later serving in jails and prisons and completing clinical pastoral education at a federal prison in California. Those experiences, he said, helped confirm his vocation to religious life and the priesthood.
As a bishop, administrative demands gradually reduced his prison visits. But a letter from a local prison prompted a change. The inmate wrote, "We need a shepherd," reminding him that incarcerated people remain part of the Church's flock.
Auxiliary Bishop Juan Miguel Betancourt of Hartford, Connecticut, speaking on behalf of a USCCB task force on the ongoing implementation of synodality in the life of the Church, provided the bishops June 11 with an update on recent consultations on synodality with members of the episcopacy.
Experiences of synodality in dioceses presently include assessments of Mass times, workload of priests, resource allocation (including parish mergers and closures), opportunities for diocesan staff to gather for prayer, reflection and learning, as well as transfer from business-minded ethos to mission.
Looking ahead to the next phase of the synodal path for the universal Church, which includes national, continental and universal synodal assemblies for implementation of the final document of the synods on synodality approved by Pope Francis and made an official part of his magisterium.
In preparation for these assemblies, Bishop Betancourt noted that a delegation from the USCCB will be meeting with officials at the Vatican's General Secretariat of the Synod.
Later, as the bishops gathered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe, President Donald Trump issued a statement acknowledging the U.S. Catholic Church's consecration of the country to the Sacred Heart for its 250th anniversary.
Trump said he and first lady Melania Trump joined their prayers with the bishops. He called the consecration "a powerful moment in our national story and a poignant reminder that America has always been guided by the loving hand of God."
"Even in the centuries before the United States was conceived in nationhood, America was a land of prayer, a place of miracles, and home to some of the most faithful and devoted Christians to ever live," Trump said.
He noted the role of Catholics in the formation of this country, particularly Bishop John Carroll, the first Catholic bishop in the United States, and his cousin Charles Carroll, one of the Founding Fathers.
"We pray that America will continue for the next 250 years, and beyond," Trump said, "to be a land of faith, a country of miracles, and a light and glory to all nations."
