What is the Rededication?
This Rededication on March 29th is a both a personal promise of the people of our country, and a renewal of the entrustment vows made by King Richard II in 1381.
The Dedication in 1381
The first dedication was made by King Richard II in Westminster Abbey as he sought the protection of Our Lady in the face of great political turmoil. At this point, England received the title ‘Mary’s Dowry’; meaning that England was ‘set aside’ as a gift, a dowry, for Our Lady under her guidance and protection.
The Rededication in 2020
As King Richard II once gave England as a gift to Our Lady, so we are invited to give ourselves, as the people of this country, to Mary. We respond to this invitation on the day of Rededication in two ways; by making a personal promise and a communal entrustment.
A Personal Promise.
Our personal promise brings us closer to Mary, the first disciple of Christ. In this we unite in her joy by following her openness to God’s call. The Angelus Promise is the prayer of this personal promise. In it we proclaim our own “Yes” in union with Mary through the words of the Annunciation.
We are inviting you to take part in the Rededication wherever you are through LIVE STREAM from the Catholic National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.
Masses can be celebrated for deceased members of family or friends, thanksgiving, anniversaries, vocations, for the sick and for any particular need. If you would like a Mass said please fill in the Mass envelope at the back of Church and give it to a priest or drop it into the Parish Office. You can also contact the Parish Office directly on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am to 2pm.
There is also an old tradition of Gregorian Masses. Gregorian Masses are a series of Holy Masses traditionally offered on 30 consecutive days as soon as possible after a person’s death. They are offered for an individual soul. The custom of offering Gregorian Masses for a particular soul recognises that few people are immediately ready for heaven after death, and that, through the infinite intercessory power of Christ’s sacrifice, made present in Holy Mass, a soul can be continually perfected in grace and enabled to enter finally into the union with the Most Holy Trinity – our God, Who is Love Itself.
Gregorian Masses take their name from Saint Gregory the Great, who was sovereign Pontiff from 590 to 604. St. Gregory the Great contributed to the spread of the pious practice of having these Masses celebrated for the deliverance of the souls from purgatory. In his Dialogues, he tells us that he had Masses on thirty consecutive days offered for the repose of the soul of Justus, a monk who had died in the convent of St. Andrew in Rome. At the end of the thirtieth Mass, the deceased appeared to one of his fellow monks and announced that he had been delivered from the flames of Purgatory.