Dear Salve Corda devotees,
It is with deep joy that I come to lend my spiritual support to the great Alliance around the Hearts of Jesus and Mary that you have launched. In the context of an unprecedented global crisis, your objective of responding concretely to their call is totally topical.
This devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is growing fast today, and is absolutely essential. Unfortunately, the precise requests of Christ and the Blessed Virgin, inseparable from this devotion, are too often forgotten. The great merit of Salve Corda is precisely that it reminds us of their vital importance, and bases its action on their implementation.
What's more, unity among the faithful is lacking today. The Salve Corda approach responds to this need by being an "Alliance" and not a new movement added to so many others. Yes, in the face of the adversity of our modern world, we must unite around the banner of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and put their demands into practice in our lives.
Let's remember Saint Jacinta's beautiful words of hope: "It's never too late to have recourse to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary".
From the Cathedral of Our Lady of Fatima in Kazakhstan, I bless the Salve Corda Alliance and invite the faithful to join it. May your approach remain founded on humility, a spirit of obedience and faith in Our Lady's final victory.
At Cana, Mary said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you". The servants obeyed and the miracle took place.
Today it's the same: let's do what Our Lady asked of us at Fatima, and God will grant people the graces of conversion and peace that the world so desperately needs.
+ Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of St Mary in Astana
