Consecration 101
I recently shared a little bit about my Consecration Journey and had a lot of follow-up questions about what Consecration looks like and means from a practical point of view. I decided to share the best resources and a 10,000 foot view of what this 33 day journey actually looks like. Okay, let us dive right on in!
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What is Consecration?
So, you have heard about “Consecration,” but what the heck does that mean, anyway? A consecrated individual has prayed for and prepared their way through a 33 day process to dedicate their heart to Jesus through the hands of His Mother, Mary. The main inspiration comes from Christ Himself. Before He began His Earthly ministry, he began as a little baby growing within Mary’s womb. As you enter Consecration, it is helpful to think of yourself being nourished by Mary in this special way: preparing your heart for the ministry and purpose God has laid out for you.
Why Consecration?
As I mentioned before, Jesus entrusted Himself to Mary, first. Since Jesus is, of course, our ultimate example, we look to follow Him. The reality is, He did not need to entrust Himself to Mary! He was God. He could have just appeared on Earth as a King or ruler or whatever He pleased. But, Jesus was fully human and fully God! He needed human necessities like food, sleep, and community. A critical part of every human existence is childhood, so it was only natural He should experience that, as well, since His goal was to take on humanity in its entirety. Similarly, although not necessary, God has entrusted Mary with the task of distributing Graces. We hand out hearts over to her that she may give us what we need to live our best Holy life for her Son, Jesus. The real reason many consider Consecration is because they want to grow their faith, and turning to the one closest to the Holy Spirit and Jesus is a wise decision and place to start!
What do you do to prepare for Consecration?
Plainly put, you pray and educate yourself for 33 days and then recite a special prayer devoting your heart to Jesus through Mary at the conclusion of your preparation period (usually during or after a Mass). You select a Feast Day to celebrate your Consecration on and start 33 days before that! Like many things, you will find, celebrating your Consecration on a Marian Feast Day is not required, simply encouraged. The books used to guide your preparation journey (detailed below) have charts that show when to begin and they talk a little about Consecration and guide you in varying prayers, depending on which resource you opt for. You are encouraged to pray the rosary and frequent the Sacraments throughout your preparation time, although no specific requirements are outlined. Personally, I also love praying the Angelus or praying the Memorare when I am renewing my Consecration in addition to my normal Rosary and Sacramental routines.
What are the best resources for Consecration preparation?
There are two main books individuals use to prepare themselves for the gift of Consecration. The first is a more established, traditional preparation book by St. Louis de Montfort called True Devotion to Mary: with Preparation for Total Consecration. This book includes longer prayers and is great if you are more traditional in your prayer life and prefer specific structure or routine. I chose to use a newer resource penned by Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC, titled, 33 Days to Morning Glory. I like this book because it is simple and encourages the primary form of prayer to follow Mary’s footsteps and “ponder.” I found this helpful because, with young children, especially, I find myself short in time to sit down and pray in ways that I might have prior to becoming a Mother. I still engage in a lot of these prayer styles, but in smaller quantities. I find a lot of my prayer these days takes place at the kitchen sink doing dishes or folding twenty pair of tiny underwear. I can ponder while I handle the chonies, you guys, so, it worked best for my life! I also encourage people to read the introduction of this book. Fr. Gaitley does an excellent job outlining the details and meaning of Consecration in the book’s introduction. Bonus! Click here and then click “look inside” on the main image and you can actually read the entire introduction for free on Amazon!! And then buy the book, your future self will thank you. My copy is coffee stained and happily worn and I would not trade that for anything.
To sum things up…
I am glad you are praying about beginning this life changing journey! Many of the greatest Saints paved the way and tried to convey the importance of Consecration. You will read about four of them if you read 33 Days to Morning Glory, individuals Fr. Michael Gaitley refers to as the “Marian Giants.”
I decided to create a facebook community to help provide support for anyone that is going through or looking to renew their Consecration, click here to join. Feel free to comment or message me if you have further questions or feel I need to expand or update this post!
I am praying for you!
TOTUS TUUS,
Emily
Nancy says
I recently consecrated myself to Jesus through Mary using Fr. Gaitley’s “33 Days to Morning Glory”. I had the book but set it aside because I had some feelings that I was struggling with about Mary. Plus, I has received a Scott Hahn book that I could not wait to devour! That book lay on my end table for about 3 months collecting dust while I struggled with these thoughts so I took my struggle to the confessional. Less than a week later, a woman at church came up to me and asked if I had ever done a Marian consecration. I was floored! It was like she read my mind! I almost worried that Father forgot to turn off his microphone before going into the confessional (just kidding)!! She highly recommended it. So I talked to Father and he said that was a great idea. So I began in February and ended on the Annunciation, March 25. I said my consecration prayer during Mass after the homily. In this book, I found answers to my previous objections and joy in the journey. I still had a few things I had a problem with but after discussing with Father, I realized it was just the wording that I did not like. He always tells me I overthink things (and he’s right!). I am so glad I did it! There is only one reason that this woman would have asked me that question…the Holy Spirit had to put it there! At that point in time, she and I were friendly acquaintances. We have since become very good friends. She was at Mass on my consecration day. And who am I to reject what the Holy Spirit leads me to? But I will still check Father’s microphone before entering the confessional!! LOL!
emilyripperger@gmail.com says
That is too funny! Definitely the Holy Spirit, not the mic, but that is good for some giggles for sure! Isn’t it funny how you’re pulled away from it? Our stories sound so similar, soul-consecration-sisters! May Christ’s peace and the comfort of our Blessed Mother be with you. Thank you for sharing your story, what a gift to my heart to read it!