The Rt Rev Philip Egan, Bishop of Portsmouth, has announced his intention to consecrate the Diocese of Portsmouth to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Bishop Egan’s decision to consecrate the Diocese coincides with the conclusion of the Year of Faith. In a message to the clergy and people of the diocese, he acknowledged that, owing to “powerful forces of chaos and moral malaise” within society today, “the Catholic community in Britain is … entering the unknown, an alien land, and the road ahead over the next decades is unmapped and unclear.” His invitation to the clergy and faithful of the Portsmouth Diocese to consecrate themselves, both individually and in a communal act to the Sacred Heart, is intended to strengthen Christian identity. “This consecration is not simply an act of piety,” Bishop Egan explained. “I want to ask everyone to put Jesus first, to acknowledge Him as their Lord, to profess Him alone to be the Way to human happiness, the Truth that sets us free, the Eternal Life for which we long. “Our faith is never a hobby, an add-on to something else, something we think about when we can.” The clergy and faithful of Portsmouth Diocese have been invited to consecrate themselves to the Sacred Heart on the Feast of Christ the King (November 24). Catholic teachers and schoolchildren have been invited to undertake this consecration in school, on the day after the Feast.