Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary

Karen Pepe • January 28, 2022

From pastor’s desk on the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, year C

Perhaps many of you realize that we are living in quite troubled times.  Because of that, very often we feel orphaned and confused; we do not know what direction to take in our lives and what to do in order to remain faithful to God and stay humanly sane.  We can only sense that we need more guidance and spiritual support, but we do not know where to go or where to begin.  For that reason, I would like to propose to you a very special spiritual devotion that may help you and your family to stay on the right track on the way to salvation and holiness.  It may also help us to better enter the sacred time of Lent.  It is the total consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

This devotion originates in the belief that Most Holy Mary plays an important part in the life of the Church and in the life of each and every one of us while bringing us to Jesus and teaching us to be humble and holy. The idea of the total consecration to Mary goes back to medical times, especially to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (d. 1153).  However, it was fully composed and popularized by Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort in the 17th and 18th century. Then, it was picked up and practiced by many other Catholics all over the world, among them the most notable were Saint Maximilian Kolbe and Saint John Paul II.  These two great saints attributed their fruitfulness in missionary activities and pastoral ministry solely to the Blessed Mother. Hence, they promoted a devotion to the Most Holy Mary in every way possible.

What is the total consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary?  It is an act of will on our part accepting Holy Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Mother of God, as our spiritual Mother and Queen, recognizing Her as the Mediatrix of all graces — as Jesus is the Way to the Father, Mary is the way to Jesus.  The consecration does not occur automatically, but is must be lived out in our daily life and it has to be taken seriously and conscientiously.  It starts with spiritual exercises that help us to foster devotion to the Blessed Mother and prepare us spiritually for a worthy reception of this act.

The preparation to the total consecration lasts for thirty- three (33) days and it involves spiritual readings, Marian prayers, and preferably daily rosary.  Particular prayers and spiritual readings can be done as individuals, couples, and families at home.  Since it is supposed to help to foster individual healthy spirituality, it is not to be prayed in the church or prayer groups, but only as individual persons or family units.  The consecration itself should be done on a feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary and it should be exercised as a public act.

So, I would like to invite all of you who love Blessed Mother Mary and who seek Her assistance, to launch this 33-day preparation beginning on February 20 th , and do the Act of the Consecration on March 25th, which is the solemnity to the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  There will be more details to follow in the next bulletin and in the church’s announcements. Below you will find a couple of useful links to some websites that contain more information regarding this devotion. 

I wish you all a blessed week.

Fr. Janusz Mocarski, pastor

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Useful references:

 

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