What is a Marian Consecration?

The word “consecrate” means to dedicate to a certain purpose. In a Marian consecration we are dedicating our lives and all our merits to Mary by giving our past, our present, and our future to her hands so that she can bring us to Jesus. We are entrusting ourselves to her in a similar way to Jesus giving His beloved disciple, John, to her care as He hung on the cross.

Why Can’t I Just go to Jesus?

You can. But going through Mary is a quicker and easier route. This metaphor from St. Louis de Montfort is a very apt description of why (it’s long, but don’t skip it, it’s one of my favorites!):

There is a vast difference between carving a statue by blows of hammer and chisel and making a statue by using a mold. Sculptors and statue-makers work hard and need plenty of time to make statues by the first method. But the second method does not involve much work and takes very little time. . . Mary is a mold capable of forming people into the image of the God-man. Anyone who is cast into this divine mold is quickly shaped and molded into Jesus and Jesus into him.

At little cost and in a short time he will become Christ-like since he is cast into the very same mold that fashioned a God-man. . . . But those who accept this little-known secret of grace which I offer them can rightly be compared to smelters and molders who have discovered the beautiful mold of Mary where Jesus was so divinely and so naturally formed. They do not rely on their own skill but on the perfection of the mold. They cast and lose themselves in Mary where they become true models of her Son.

Mary always brings us to Jesus. And we never need to be worried about loving her too much. We can never love her more that Jesus Himself does.

What does the Church Say about Marian Consecrations?

A Marian consecration falls into the category of personal devotion, which means that it is approved, and even recommended, but not required. You are not a bad Catholic if you do not make a Marian consecration. But if you do have a devotion to Our Lady, a consecration is a natural next step.

Isn’t this a Little Excessive?

Yes and no. By consecrating yourself to Mary you are in fact giving over to her all the merits of your life and all your prayers, past, present, and future. So, for example, if you complete the conditions for an indulgence, that indulgence goes to her, not to you- you don’t get your purgatory time taken off, you give it to her for her to use as she sees fit. So it may seem excessive from that perspective.

But Mary, from her vantage point as Queen of Heaven, sees the whole picture, where we just see a small part. Keeping with the same example, there may be a soul who needs that indulgence more than you do. By giving over everything to Mary you allow her to amplify your prayers- they go further and are more efficacious than they would be otherwise.

If I Give up Everything to Mary, What do I get out of it?

One of the questions I had at the beginning of my consecration was, if I’m giving up all my prayers and merits to Mary, what about the people in my life that I love and am praying for? Do they lose out? Do I?

And the answer is a resounding no. Mary takes all of our prayers and uses them to their fullest. She makes the most out of them in a way that we can’t. We have run to our Mother’s arms with full confidence that she will carry us to Jesus.

What Saints Supported Marian Consecrations?

Too many to name quite frankly. Saints throughout history have given their lives over to Mary. Some important saints of note though are St. Louis de Montfort, St. Maximilian Kolbe, Mother Teresa, Pope JPII, and St. John Damascene.

Okay, I’ve Decided to Complete a Marian Consecration, what are my Options?

There are many and varied options for completing a Marian consecration. If it’s your first time, I absolutely recommend St. Louis de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Mary. It’s long and there are many prayers for each day, but it is life changing, and the litanies are especially beautiful. His book, True Devotion to Mary, which I read before my consecration (and excerpts from which are included in his consecration preparation) changed my life, and my copy is one of the few books on my shelf that I never lend out.

If your life is a little busy right now, and you want to complete a consecration but don’t have the time each day for St. Louis, then I recommend Fr. Michael Gaitley’s book 33 Days to Morning Glory. With a shorter daily meditation and more modern language, Fr. Gaitley’s work has made consecrations more accessible.

If you have older children who would like to complete a consecration on their own, then check out Marian Consecration for Children by Carrie Gress.

And if you would like to complete a consecration as a whole family, then look no further than Marian Consecration for Families with Young Children, which is designed to be a whole family experience that allows for even your littlest ones to participate and engage with this centuries old practice.