Above: The Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull (1818).
O Columbia, the gem of the ocean,
The home of the brave and the free,
The shrine of each patriot’s devotion,
A world offers homage to thee.
Thy mandates make heroes assemble,
When Liberty’s form stands in view;
Thy banners make tyranny tremble,
When borne by the red, white, and blue!
When borne by the red, white, and blue!
Thy banners make tyranny tremble,
When borne by the red, white, and blue!
Well, ladies and gentlemen, it has arrived at last – July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. For most Americans, it is the 250th birthday of these United States as well. Being old enough to remember well the Bicentennial back in 1976, I have written previously in several places about how subdued this commemoration has been in comparison. There are reasons for this.
The most obvious is that this nation is the most divided politically it has been since perhaps the immediate antebellum era. The major difference is that at that time in history most Americans shared a moral consensus; they do so no longer. Beyond that, the two sides seem sometimes to barely regard each other as human. It is a matter of course that any 250th celebrations conducted by governments at the Federal, State, County, or Local level will be boycotted by the other side not in power.
Of course, this is not true in those places where the stirring events of two and a half century ago actually took place. Starting in April of last year, the various communities in the thirteen original states where things took place have happily commemorated them, and shall continue to do so all the way up to and including 2033. Those participants really will not care who is in the White House, controls Congress, or runs the State House. They will not care if the rest of the country celebrates with them or not – (although they will welcome tourist dollars from those who do). What matters for them is the occurrences that put their town on the map. I think that is an eminently healthy attitude, and well worth emulating.
That being said, it may come as a bit of a shock for me to say, given my reputation as a Monarchist, and my historical sympathy is with the Tories. This is absolutely true – and I can never read the Declaration of Independence without grinding my teeth over its Orwellian condemnation of the Quebec Act, which gave my French-Canadian ancestors their freedom, religion, and laws. As far as I am concerned, our national existence begins in 1783, when George III absolved his American subjects of their allegiance; or perhaps 1607, with the founding Jamestown – or even 1567, with the Spanish settling of St. Augustine, Florida. As far as I’m concerned, the real Founding Fathers were not the signers of either the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution, but Felipe II of Spain, Louis XIII of France, and James I, Charles I, Charles II, and James II of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
All of that being said, why am I keen on celebrating the Fourth of July in general, and the 250th in particular? Because I love the United States of America. They are the country in which I was born, and the land to which my fathers came, before or after the foundation of the American political arrangements. Had my father been ilegitimate, it would be a shame. But however much, were that the case that I might wish his parents had been married, it would not diminish one iota the love I have for him. So too with this country; however dodgy its political origins, it is still my country. I love its flag, not as a symbol of some abstract freedom or other, but as the very symbol of that nation, for which so many have fought and died.
Of course, as a Catholic, I know that patriotism is a religious virtue. I do believe that a large part of our problem to-day is that people confuse true love of country with mere adulation of its institutions. If they lose faith in the perfection of those structures, they may decided that the country too is evil – and so Wokery follows American Exceptionalism, as Unitarianism followed Calvinism. We need a patriotism that rooted in the actual history of our country, the many scientific and cultural goods it has brought the world, its incredible natural and artistic riches to-day, and the peoples who inhabit it. In The Madness of George III, Playwright Alan Bennett puts in the King’s mouth the words “I’ve had no peace of mind since we lost America. Forests, old as the world itself… meadows… plains… strange delicate flowers… immense solitudes… and all nature new to art… all ours… Mine. Gone. A paradise… lost.” It may indeed have been lost to George III, but it is ours to enjoy and love.
Similarly, the figure of George Washington may be seen in several different ways. For the French-Canadian, he is the man who started the French and Indian War, which ended in our conquest by the British – the founding injustice in our history – by allowing his Indian allies to butcher the French Officer Jumonville. For the Loyalist, he is the perjurer and traitor who led an army in rebellion against the King to whom he had sworn allegiance. For the average American, he is the Father of Our Country – leader of the Continental Army and First President. But here too, I’ll give the verdict to George III, who said, upon hearing that Washington had refused to seize power and returned to his plantation, “if this be true, then General Washington is the greatest man of the age.”
So I happily celebrate Washington’s Birthday, Independence Day, Flag Day, Memorial Day, and all the rest of it. I wish that Independence Day was still celebrated in the manner described by Bradford Smith, in “The Glorious Unsafe Fourth:”
When laws against the use of fireworks became prevalent, there came an end to an American institution that once was firmly built into every boy’s life, making patriotism seem a joyous and understandable thing. Youngsters today do not even know the phrase, yet it was not so many years ago that a ‘Glorious Fourth’ was as much a part of the calendar as a Happy New Year or a Merry Christmas.
But for the Catholic American, patriotism must mean more even than just loving the real America. As with Catholic Japanese or Indians, it must also mean wanting to bring his nation into the Kingdom of Christ, the Catholic Church. We have several advantages in this area, other than the early Spanish and French origins of the country.
The first is our national patroness, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. The bishops of the United States petitioned Rome to make her our patroness and the permission was given by Bl. Pius IX years before the actual definition. When one goes to Washington DC, although it is fine to visit the various buildings housing our government, and the many museums that dot the area, the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is essential. Above all, we should celebrate her feast of December 8 not only as a great observance of Our Lady, but as even more our National Day than the Fourth of July.
This year, however there was another milestone – the Consecration of the United States to the Sacred Heart by the Bishops in Orlando, Florida. In the words of the USCCB website:
As the United States of America commemorates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, the USCCB joins this celebration by lifting up the contributions of Catholics and the impact of our faith on the history of this country.
In a historic moment, the U.S. bishops will consecrate the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 11, 2026, and invite all parishes to join in this consecration.
In the event, however, the prayer they used did not per se talk about consecration. It ran:
O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus:
You know the longings of our hearts, and you desire that we enjoy friendship with you.
From your pierced side, you have poured out the wellspring of life, for which we thirst.
Your heart burns with a love for all people to return to a right relationship with you.
We celebrate the abundant gifts you have given this nation, founded on the self-evident truths that our Creator has endowed all people with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
We make reparation for the offenses against you and against human dignity that have taken place in this nation.
May our hearts be united to yours, so that our families and communities enjoy peace and happiness; may broken relationships be reconciled, injustices repaired, and the wounds of our land be healed.
May your holy Catholic Church serve as a sign, pointing all people to your infinite love.
O Desire of Nations and Center of History, we ask you to bless these United States of America.
Who live and reign with God the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever
Amen.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
Now, it may be noted that although this is called a prayer of consecration, it does not actually use the word – and a great deal of speculation has resulted, as is always the case when the Bishops are ambiguous.
The following day, however, the actual feast of the Sacred Heart, Raymond Cardinal Burke gave a homily at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadelupe in Wisconsin. His Eminence began:
How fitting that, on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, we offer our solemn act of thanksgiving to almighty God for His many blessings upon our nation from the day of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, 250 years ago, until today! How providential that, on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, we consecrate our homeland to the Sacred Heart and make the act of reparation for the indifference and offense with which we have so often responded, in our nation, to the love of the Sacred Heart!
From the time when St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received the instruction from Our Lord that the King of France was to consecrate his realm to the Sacred Heart, it has been admitted that a National consecration in its fulness requires not only the participation of a country’s bishops, but its Head of State. Obviously, as things stand, that was never going to happen. But oddly enough, President Trump, whose flip-flopping on abortion and IVF, support of same-sex marriage, newly aggressive foreign policy and the like has not endeared him to me, did make note of the event in a presidential statement:
Today, Melania and I join in prayer with Catholic Bishops gathered in Orlando, Florida, as they consecrate the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the occasion of our 250th year of American Independence—a powerful moment in our national story and a poignant reminder that America has always been guided by the loving hand of God.
He goes on to conflate the history of the Catholic Church in America with those of other denominations:
Even in the centuries before the United States was conceived in nationhood, America was a land of prayer, a place of miracles, and home to some of the most faithful and devoted Christians to ever live. From the heroic bands of Christian missionaries, settlers, and explorers who tamed the unknown to spread the Gospel to the priests, chaplains, and churchgoers who forged our spirit in every generation since, the love of Jesus Christ has stood at the center of our identity and way of life.
Now, one might wonder how sincere these words of the president’s really are. But it must be remembered that prior to the 1950s , when the Supreme Court began its attack on religion in public life, a sort of generic Christianity, integrally attached to the American Civic Religion, was considered the de facto State Religion. Hence that same Court, in Church of the Holy Trinity vs. the United States (1892), after citing colonial charters and state constitutions, went on to say
If we pass beyond these matters to a view of American life, as expressed by its laws, its business, its customs, and its society, we find every where a clear recognition of the same truth. Among other matters, note the following: the form of oath universally prevailing, concluding with an appeal to the Almighty; the custom of opening sessions of all deliberative bodies and most conventions with prayer; the prefatory words of all wills, ‘In the name of God, amen;’ the laws respecting the observance of the Sabbath, with the general cessation of all secular business, and the closing of courts, legislatures, and other similar public assemblies on that day; the churches and church organizations which abound in every city, town, and hamlet; the multitude of charitable organizations existing every where under Christian auspices; the gigantic missionary associations, with general support, and aiming to establish Christian missions in every quarter of the globe. These, and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation.
Sincere or not, return to that status quo is a stated objective of Trump and his followers. But what does make this message unusual is that very attempt to entwine the Sacred Heart with the generic religion of America. The president went on to say this:
Inspired by this proud birthright of faith, just years after the end of the Revolutionary War, Bishop John Carroll—the first Catholic bishop in the United States and cousin of Catholic Founding Father Charles Carroll—consecrated our young Republic to Mary, the Mother of God. Today, this grand legacy of faith in America reaches yet another historic milestone as America’s Catholic Bishops consecrate our Nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, during which they will prayerfully ‘celebrate the abundant gifts’ that God has ‘given this nation, founded on the self-evident truths that our Creator has endowed all people with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ And following today’s consecration, on June 12, Christians in the United States and around the world will celebrate the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, a joyful celebration of God’s boundless love for all His creation.
If we Catholic Americans are to be worthy of the country into which we were born or immigrated to, we must strive for her conversion as a patriotic duty. It is in that spirit, therefore, that I wish each and every one of you a happy 250th, and a Glorious Fourth!
