Philadelphia, Pa., May 10, 2017 / 14:08 pm
The Catholic bishops of Pennsylvania will dedicate each Catholic diocese and eparchy in the state to the Virgin Mary later this year.
"What prompted the proposal was the intent for the dioceses and eparchies in the Commonwealth to observe the 100th Anniversary of the apparition of the Blessed Mother at Fatima," Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia said May 9.
The decision was made at the bishops' provincial meeting May 1.
The official dedication will include a special noontime Mass with all the bishops at St. Patrick's Cathedral in the Pennsylvania capital of Harrisburg. The Mass will take place Sept. 27, during the next provincial meeting of the bishops.