On November 21, 2021, on the Feast of Christ the King, in his Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier, Bishop David Ricken of the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin, entrusted the United States of America to Jesus King of All Nations.
His priests and pastoral leaders joined Bishop Ricken in reciting a Special Litany for Christ to reign. Bishop Ricken has asked us to recite the Special Litany in our homes.
You may read the entire Act of Entrustment and Special Litany HERE.
The photos below show St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Bishop Ricken in the Entrance Procession and Bishop Ricken kneeling before an icon of Christ the King, making the Act of Entrustment and leading the Special Litany.
Bishop Ricken preached in his homily,
We must remember that the Kingdom of God is just what it says it is, God’s Kingdom. And that means that God is Sovereign Lord of all of creation, of the universe, of each and every nation.
The good news is that God’s reign is not about ruling with an iron fist. No, God is the best ruler we could possibly have and, when he returns to earth, he will fully establish his Kingdom of love, respect, peace, joy and fullness of life.
In the meantime, we must entrust ourselves to him and ask for the grace to be faithful to him in difficult times, which it seems are on the horizon more and more. We must be ready every day, brothers and sisters, for trials and sufferings and sacrifices, unlike anything we have faced in our lives previously.
We must persevere through these trials and keep our eyes focused on Jesus. It is obvious that our nation is under great trial now with the aftereffect of the pandemic, as well as social, economic and political divisions that seem to grow each day. Countries with great antipathy to the United States are beating the drums of domination as they flex their muscles in many ways. There are even divisions in the Church about fundamental moral questions, which are creating stress in the Body of Christ. In the midst of all this upheaval, brothers and sisters, we must remember that Jesus is our King.
Friends, this is a time for fervent prayer and fasting, for calling one another back to Jesus, for committing or recommitting ourselves to living as disciples of Christ. Let us not delay, for we know not the day nor the hour of the Lord’s coming. I urge each of you to join me in entrusting your life to Christ the King and praying for our diocese, our state and our nation. With God as our King, we know that no evil can overcome us!
At the end of his homily, Bishop Ricken knelt before an icon of Christ the King, recited his Act of Entrustment and led the congregation in his Special Litany. Bishop Ricken began his Act of Entrustment as follows:
O Immortal King of Ages, Lord Jesus Christ, our God and Savior! We kneel before you to acknowledge your reign, to submit ourselves to your law, to entrust and consecrate to you our Diocese and all of our people.
We confess before heaven and earth that we need your rule. We acknowledge that you alone have a holy and perennial law for us. Therefore, humbly bowing our heads before you, the King of the Universe, we recognize your sovereignty over this Diocese and all who live within it. We recognize that you are the Sovereign King, the King of All Nations, the King of this Nation, the United States of America. Desirous to worship the majesty of your power and glory, with great faith and love, we cry out to you: Christ, reign over us! … Christ our King, we confidently entrust to your Mercy all people of this land, the United States of America.
Bishop Ricken concluded, in unison with his congregation, as follows:
Christ, reign over us! Reign over our country, and reign in every nation – for the greater glory of the Most Holy Trinity and the salvation of humanity. Make our homeland and the entire world into your kingdom: a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace. Amen.
You may listen to Bishop Ricken and Dan Lynch on the Drew Mariani Show HERE beginning at 26:44 minutes.
