EWTN News portal (May 11, 2026) reports that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), through “Archbishop” Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, has released video materials and resources promoting the consecration of the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus ahead of America’s 250th anniversary. The consecration, approved at the November 2025 USCCB Fall Plenary Assembly, is scheduled for June 11, 2026. Sample frames this act as “a way to recognize the kingship of Christ,” citing Pius XI’s *Quas Primas* and Leo XIII’s consecration of the human race. He references “apparitions” to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and praises the devotion’s endorsement by Leo XIII, Francis, and Leo XIV. The initiative aims to “infuse the spirit of the Gospel into various communities and departments of life” and encourages the laity to “offer their lives in service to God and their country.” This entire enterprise, however, is a hollow modernist performance, devoid of true Catholic substance, and serves to legitimize a heretical conciliar structure while ignoring the Church’s true mission and the supernatural order.
The Illusion of Christ’s Kingship in a Conciliar Vacuum
The very premise of the USCCB’s action—recognizing “the kingship of Christ”—is rendered null and void by the foundational heresies of the post-conciliar sect. Pius XI, in *Quas Primas*, unequivocally states that Christ’s reign “extends not only to Catholic nations or to those who, by receiving baptism according to law, belong to the Church… but His reign encompasses also all non-Christians, so that most truly the entire human race is subject to the authority of Jesus Christ.” This reign is not merely symbolic or devotional; it demands the public subjection of states and societies to God’s laws and the Church’s authority. Yet, the USCCB, a product of the conciliar revolution, has consistently promoted the very errors Pius XI condemned: secularism, laicism, and the separation of Church and state. Their “consecration” is a performative act, stripped of any demand for the nation’s conversion to the Catholic Faith or the implementation of Catholic principles in law and governance. It is a “kingship” that requires nothing, changes nothing, and ultimately means nothing, serving only to placate a nostalgic longing for a Catholicism that the conciliar sect itself has dismantled.
The Devotion to the Sacred Heart: A Tool for Modernist Agendas?
While devotion to the Sacred Heart, as promoted by saints like Margaret Mary Alacoque, is a legitimate and praiseworthy aspect of Catholic piety, its invocation by the USCCB is deeply suspect. Sample’s mention of “apparitions” without the critical lens of the Church’s rigorous discernment process, especially given the context of the conciliar sect’s embrace of dubious private revelations (e.g., Fatima’s “conversion of Russia” without specifying Catholicism), raises immediate red flags. More critically, the USCCB’s focus on “fostering truth, justice, and charity in American life” and “service to God and their country” reveals a naturalistic, horizontal understanding of the faith. This is the language of the “cult of man” and “false ecumenism,” where the supernatural ends of the Church—the salvation of souls and the propagation of the true Faith—are replaced by social activism and nationalistic piety. The true purpose of consecration, as understood by Leo XIII, was to implore God’s grace for the Church and society, acknowledging sin and the need for repentance. The USCCB’s version, however, is a celebration of national identity, a “service to country” that blurs the lines between patriotism and the absolute primacy of the supernatural.
The Usurpers’ Endorsement: A Seal of Apostasy
Sample’s explicit mention that “Pope Leo XIV” has “lauded” this devotion is a damning indictment. Leo XIV, as a usurper on Peter’s throne, possesses no authority to commend or promote any devotion. His endorsement, along with that of his predecessor Francis, is not a sign of orthodoxy but a confirmation of the conciliar sect’s departure from true Catholicism. These antipopes have consistently undermined the Faith through their promotion of religious liberty, false ecumenism, and the democratization of the Church. Their “lauding” of a devotion, while simultaneously dismantling the Church’s doctrinal and liturgical integrity, is a classic modernist tactic: using traditional language to mask revolutionary content. It is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, leading the faithful astray with familiar phrases while emptying them of their true meaning.
The Laity’s Role: Service to God or Service to the State?
The call for the laity to “offer their lives in service to God and their country” is a subtle but dangerous inversion of priorities. While Catholics are indeed called to be good citizens, their primary allegiance is to God and His Church. The USCCB’s framing, however, places “country” on an equal footing with “God,” fostering a civil religion that is anathema to the true Faith. This is the “Americanism” condemned by Leo XIII, where the Church is adapted to the spirit of the age rather than the age being transformed by the Church. The true mission of the laity, as outlined in *Quas Primas*, is to “fight bravely and always under the banner of Christ the King,” to “reconcile stray and unenlightened souls with the Lord,” and to ensure that “God’s laws remain inviolate.” This is a supernatural battle, not a civic project. The USCCB’s vision reduces the laity to social workers in a secular state, rather than soldiers of Christ in a spiritual war.
The Silence on True Repentance and Conversion
Perhaps the most glaring omission in Sample’s message and the USCCB’s initiative is any call for true repentance, conversion, or the acceptance of the Catholic Faith as the one true religion. There is no mention of the necessity of baptism, the sacraments, or the Church’s infallible teaching authority. The “blessings God has bestowed on our country” are acknowledged, but the nation’s sins—legalized abortion, pornography, religious indifferentism, and the rejection of Christ’s social kingship—are ignored. This is not a consecration in the Catholic sense; it is a nationalistic rally, a civic religion masquerading as piety. It is the “abomination of desolation” standing in the holy place, offering a false peace and a false hope, while the true Church, the ark of salvation, is abandoned by those who should be her champions.
In conclusion, the USCCB’s consecration of America to the Sacred Heart is a modernist charade, a hollow ritual performed by a heretical sect that has long since rejected the true kingship of Christ. It is a betrayal of the Faith, a mockery of true devotion, and a dangerous distraction from the real battle for souls. Catholics must reject this false piety and return to the unchanging teachings of the pre-conciliar Church, where the Sacred Heart is honored not through nationalistic platitudes, but through the faithful observance of God’s commandments, the reception of the sacraments, and the unwavering defense of the Church’s divine constitution.
Source:
U.S. bishops release Archbishop Sample video, resources on consecrating nation to the Sacred Heart (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 11.05.2026