Guess where Bishop McKnight was on March 25.

Update 04/02/2022: Two sources have confirmed that Bishop Shawn McKnight notified priests in the diocese beforehand that he would attend the March 25 conference in Chicago and take part in the Act of Consecration at the cathedral, along with Cardinal Cupich and the other invited bishops. Still, Bishop McKnight is not mentioned as an attendee by the Catholic media covering the event, and neither the conference nor the Act of Consecration appear on his schedule published in the Catholic Missourian and on the diocese website.

It took a giant leap of faith for many of us to believe the bishops of the world (or at least the vast majority of them) joined in the March 25 Consecration of Russia/Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on March 25. Come to find out, our own Bishop McKnight of the Diocese of Jefferson City is said (but so far not verified in print) to have been in Chicago that day. Someone please prove me wrong, but it doesn’t look like he would have gone there to make the Act of Consecration in unison with his fellow bishops:

A select group of high-ranking U.S. prelates, along with the Papal Nuncio and Vatican curial officials, secretively gathered in Chicago recently to “understand the spirit of what they call the ‘opposition’” to Pope Francis, and to promote the ideology of Vatican II.

LifeSite News

His Excellency attended the “invitation only” event — “Pope Francis, Vatican II, and the Way Forward” — along with Cardinals Sean O’Malley, Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, Blaise Cupich, and Joseph Tobin, as well as Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski of St. Louis, to name but a few. Of course, who else but the liberal National Catholic Reporter covered the event featuring the musings of a host of pro-Vatican II theologians. While stating the goal of unity between the liberal and conservative factions in the Church, their proposed “way forward” involves leaving tradition behind:

We have this what they call ‘opposition’ to the pope. It’s trying to build walls, going backwards — looking to the old liturgy or maybe things before Vatican II. said Rodriguez, who is also the coordinator of the pope’s advisory Council of Cardinals.

Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga

So what is a traditional-minded Catholic to do? Allow me to turn our attention back to Our Lady, who not only asked for the Consecration of Russia but also for reparations on the First Saturday of five successive months. This devotion involves going to confession, attending Mass, praying five decades of the Rosary, and meditating on the Mysteries for 15 minutes.

As I proposed here, let us turn out in record numbers for the “first” First Saturday after the Consecration and offer our prayers for the bishops who see us not as faithful Catholics but as obstacles to be pushed out of the way. If your local parish does not offer a First Saturday Mass, ask for it. It’s time to get every Catholic possible on board for First Saturday Devotions!

P.S. All things considered, I remain convinced that the Act of Consecration on March 25 was accepted by Heaven. Only God and Our Lady know if it was the Consecration, as ordered, to convert Russia. The graces are surely flowing for conversions to take place . . . starting, let’s hope, with our bishops.

P.P.S. Mea culpa! I inadvertently typed National Catholic Register instead of Reporter in the original posting but have corrected my error. Apologies to the good guys at National Catholic Register.