Cardinal Burke’s Pontifical Mass at St. Peter’s marks the 2025 Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage, urging devotion to Christ’s Sacred Heart through Mary’s Immaculate Heart.
Newsroom (27/10/2025, Gaudium Press ) In a moment of profound spiritual significance, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke presided over the Pontifical Mass at the Altar of the Chair of Saint Peter, bringing the 2025 Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage to a triumphant close. The Mass, celebrated in the Usus Antiquior—the traditional Latin form of the Roman Rite—drew pilgrims from across the globe to the heart of Christendom, uniting them in a shared reverence for the timeless beauty of the Church’s liturgical heritage. The sacred liturgy, steeped in centuries of tradition, served as both a celebration of faith and a clarion call to deepen devotion to the Eucharistic Christ under the maternal guidance of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In his sermon, delivered with gravitas and pastoral warmth, Cardinal Burke began by expressing his “deepest joy” in offering the Mass, which he dedicated to the faithful worldwide who labor to preserve and promote the Usus Antiquior. He extended heartfelt gratitude to the organizers of the pilgrimage, whose meticulous planning and unwavering commitment made the event possible. “In the name of all present, I thank those who have labored so diligently and well,” he said, acknowledging the sacrifices behind the pilgrimage’s success. The Mass, he explained, was offered for those who cherish the ancient rite, praying that it would “encourage and strengthen us all in love of our Eucharistic Lord,” whose sacrifice on Calvary is sacramentally renewed in the liturgy, nourishing the faithful with the “Heavenly Food” of His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.
The liturgy, celebrated on a Saturday in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, provided a fitting occasion to reflect on her Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. Cardinal Burke invited the congregation to contemplate Mary’s unique role in salvation history, noting her complete cooperation with her Divine Son’s redemptive work. Drawing from the Gospel account of the Crucifixion, he recalled Christ’s words to Mary and Saint John the Apostle: “Woman, behold thy son… Behold thy mother” (John 19:26-27). These words, he explained, reveal the “essential reality” of Mary’s maternal mission, entrusted to her by Christ as He accomplished humanity’s salvation on the Cross. Through her Immaculate Conception, Mary was preserved from sin and wholly dedicated to Christ’s saving work, becoming the channel through which divine grace flows to humanity. “From the very moment of her conception,” Cardinal Burke said, “Mary was totally for Christ and, in Christ, totally for us.”
The cardinal deepened this reflection by turning to the Wedding Feast of Cana, where Mary’s words to the wine stewards—“Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5)—encapsulate her role as the Mother of God and mediatrix of grace. In this simple yet profound instruction, Cardinal Burke saw the essence of Mary’s Divine Maternity, through which she brought the Incarnate Word into the world and continues to guide souls to Him. “She draws our hearts to her glorious Immaculate Heart and takes them to His Sacred Heart,” he said, emphasizing that Mary’s maternal care leads believers to a life of obedience to Christ. This obedience, he noted, is not merely a historical event but an ongoing reality, as Mary intercedes for her children, adopted through Baptism, on their earthly pilgrimage to Heaven.
Cardinal Burke framed Mary as the “most perfect created manifestation” of God’s eternal Wisdom, quoting the Book of Ecclesiasticus to describe her as “the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope” (Ecclesiasticus 24:24). He urged the faithful to place their hope in Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, who, through Mary’s intercession, restores the divine order written on every human heart. In a world marked by confusion and rebellion against God’s plan, the cardinal called for a renewed commitment to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with Mary’s Immaculate Heart as the conduit for divine mercy and love. “Striving to rest our hearts in the glorious-pierced Heart of Jesus,” he said, “we announce to the world the truth that salvation has come.”
The sermon also marked the centennial of two significant events in 1925: the apparition of the Infant Jesus and Our Lady of Fatima to Sister Lúcia dos Santos on December 10, and the promulgation of Pope Pius XI’s encyclical Quas Primas on December 11, which instituted the Feast of Christ the King. Cardinal Burke connected these events to the pilgrimage’s theme, emphasizing Christ’s universal kingship and Mary’s role as mediatrix. He recounted the Fatima apparition, where Our Lady revealed her Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, pierced by thorns due to humanity’s indifference and sin. She warned against the evils of atheistic communism, which, Cardinal Burke noted, “leads hearts away from the Heart of Jesus” and fosters rebellion against God’s order. Through the First Saturdays Devotion—comprising sacramental confession, Holy Communion, recitation of the Rosary, and meditation on its mysteries—Our Lady offers a path of reparation and spiritual renewal. “This devotion is not an isolated act,” the cardinal stressed, “but a way of life, a daily conversion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus under Mary’s maternal guidance.”
Reflecting on the 18th anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI’s Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, Cardinal Burke celebrated the document’s role in restoring the Usus Antiquior to regular use. He evoked the countless faithful across centuries who encountered Christ through this rite, many of whom were inspired to heroic sanctity and martyrdom. For those who grew up with the traditional liturgy, he noted, it fostered a steadfast focus on Christ, shaping their vocations and lives. He also acknowledged the younger generations who have discovered the rite’s beauty through Summorum Pontificum, finding in it a profound connection to the Church’s Sacred Tradition. “We thank God for this venerable form of the Roman Rite,” he said, “which has brought so many to the faith and deepened their life in Christ.”
In closing, Cardinal Burke called the congregation to lift their hearts to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, trusting in Mary’s maternal intercession. “Let us be inspired and strengthened to reflect the beauty of this liturgy in the goodness of our daily living,” he urged, emphasizing the transformative power of the Sacred Liturgy as the “most excellent expression” of life in Christ. The Mass, he said, is a foretaste of Heaven, where the faithful, under Mary’s merciful gaze, progress toward their eternal home.
As the final notes of the Gregorian chant echoed through St. Peter’s Basilica, the pilgrims departed with renewed fervor, carrying the cardinal’s call to live out the faith with courage and devotion. The Pontifical Mass, a radiant celebration of the Church’s liturgical heritage, stood as a powerful witness to the enduring truth of Christ’s kingship and Mary’s maternal care.
- Raju Hasmukh with fiels from https://cardinalburke.com/
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