Boonville, Fayette parishioners to pray 33-day consecrations

We’ve been trying very hard not just to get families back to church but also to get regular prayer back into the homes. We’re trying to restore a sense of Catholic devotional life beyond Mass.””

Father William Peckman

Consecration to the Holy Family

O Lord Jesus, You lived in the home of Mary and Joseph in Nazareth. There You grew in age, wisdom and grace as You prepared to fulfill Your mission as our Redeemer. We entrust our family to You.

O Blessed Mary, you are the Mother of our Savior. At Nazareth, you cared for Jesus and nurtured Him in the peace and joy of your home. We entrust our family to you.

O Saint Joseph, you provided a secure and loving home for Jesus and Mary, and gave us a model of fatherhood while showing us the dignity of work. We entrust our family to you.

Holy Family, we consecrate ourselves and our family to you. May we be completely united in a love that is lasting, faithful and open to the gift of new life.

Help us to grow in virtue, to forgive one another from our hearts, and to live in peace all our days.

Keep us strong in faith, persevering in prayer, diligent in our work, and generous toward those in need.

May our home, O Holy Family, truly become a domestic Church where we reflect your example in our daily life. Amen.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, pray for us!

(From the Knights of Columbus)

Men and women of Ss. Peter & Paul parish in Boonville and St. Joseph parish in Fayette are being invited to consecrate themselves to the Holy Family.

Men of both parishes will take part in a 33-day Consecration to St. Joseph, beginning on Feb. 16 and ending on March 19, the Solemnity of St. Joseph.

“I cannot challenge the men of these parishes enough to step up out of love for their spouses, children and if applicable, grandchildren,” said Father William Peckman, pastor of both parishes.

“Since so much of your children’s coming to faith statistically hinges on you, my goal is for at least 150 men between the parishes to do this consecration,” he said.

Women of the parishes will take part in a 33-day Consecration to the Blessed Mother, beginning on Feb 21 and concluding on March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation.

“I cannot challenge the women of our parishes enough to step up for the good of their spouses, children and if applicable, grandchildren,” said Fr. Peckman.

“Since you play such a major role in your children’s religious formation, my goal is for at least 150 women between the parishes to do this consecration,” he added.

The parishes are bulk-ordering the books for both consecrations and offering them to parishioners at cost.

People will be encouraged to pray each day’s devotions at home, concluding with a gathering at church on the 33rd day of both consecrations.

The number 33 points to Jesus’s age at the time of His death and resurrection.

Fr. Peckman said all of this is part of both parishes’ goal for 2020 to build-up the spiritual lives of families and help parents, especially dads, grow as the spiritual leaders they are called to be by virtue of their vocation.

He emphasized the importance of Catholic fathers practicing their faith consistently at home and in the sacramental life of the Church.

“In study after study, the largest single determining factor of the practice of the children is the practice of the dad,” he said.

“Not just through going to church,” he added, “although that is a great part of it. But also being a man of prayer in the family and being the spiritual head of the home.”

Fr. Peckman has seen those statistics bear out through his 22 years as a pastor in several parishes throughout the diocese.

“There are certainly exceptions, but the norm is, if mom goes to church and dad does not, confirmation is the end of us seeing the kids,” said Fr. Peckman.

“But if dad does come to church, the norm is that the kids will still come to church after confirmation.”

“Step up and see”

At the conclusion of Sunday Masses in both parishes, the people kneel down and pause for a short period of silent thanksgiving.

Throughout 2020, that silence will conclude with the praying the Knights of Columbus Prayer of Consecration to the Holy Family, followed by the Prayer to St. Michael.

“If you’re praying that consecration 50-plus times a year, those words will hopefully sink into your heart,” Fr. Peckman stated, “especially the part about loving each other and forgiving from the heart.”

Those, he asserted, “for lack of a better term, are traditional family values.” 

Fr. Peckman and both parishes’ Christian education commissions intend these prayers of consecration to be one of many increasingly concrete steps toward promoting deeper spirituality throughout the year.

“We’ve been trying very hard not just to get families back to church but also to get regular prayer back into the homes,” he said. “We’re trying to restore a sense of Catholic devotional life beyond Mass.”

He pointed out that the spiritual life is meant to grow in such a way as to help people — including husbands and wives — live out their vocation more effectively.

“Don’t let pride get in the way of this spiritual exercise of the consecrations,” he advised his parishioners. “Step up and see in it what an athlete sees in training: a chance to greater master your calling as a spouse, parent and grandparent.”