The joy of Marian Consecration

As my seminary’s introductory year (propaedeutic) class prepares for our pilgrimage to the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Mexico City, many of my classmates are going through a 33-day preparation for consecrating themselves to Jesus through Mary. This consecration, where someone gives themself entirely to Mary so that she may bring them closer to her Son, is very common for seminarians to complete in their first year. I have already had the joy of making this consecration about a year before entering seminary, and I can say it has been nothing short of life-changing! 

There’s a basic three-step outline for Marian consecration: pick a feast day, pick a preparation guide, and finally make the act of consecration. I have the great delight of celebrating my heavenly mother Mary’s birthday on the same day as my earthly mom’s birthday: I chose Sept. 8, the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, for my day of consecration. My preparation guide was 33 Days to Morning Glory by Father Michael Gaitley, which is very accessible and comprehensive. Other famous guides are St. Louis de Montford’s True Devotion to Mary and St. Maximillian Kolbe’s Behold Your Mother. The act of consecration is as simple as writing out a prayer of consecration offered by one of these guides and then signing it. Many seminarians, upon making their consecration, wear Mary’s Miraculous Medal and a chain around their wrist to symbolize their total obedience to Mary. Marian writers recommend renewing the consecration every year on your feast day.

Some of my favorite aspects of Marian consecration are summed up in the “contract of consecration” which was inspired by St. Mother Teresa. My duty to make a “total gift of all that I have and am,” corresponds to Mary’s duty to “give of her spirit and heart.” I have noticed these duties greatly in my prayer life. When you give yourself completely to Mary, it becomes abundantly clear the ways in which she gives herself to you as well. As a seminarian, I receive Mary’s maternal relationship in my spiritual life. When the infinity and vastness of God is sometimes daunting, it is nice to spend time with Mary, who was human the same way we are.

Another one of Mary’s duties is to “provide for my spiritual and material needs” which corresponds to my duty to have “constant recourse to her.” Whether it’s been struggling through writing a paper at seminary or getting lost on a weekend hiking trip, I can honestly say that every time that I have gone to Mary for help in time of great need, she has always come through to help with her grace and provision. This is even truer in times of spiritual darkness and trial as she has given me spiritual strength and consolation to persevere immediately upon asking. After receiving her motherly vocation from Jesus on the Cross when he said, “Behold, your son,” Mary is always ready to provide in a motherly way to all to seek her. 

The final part I resonate with, which can be difficult, is Mary’s “right to dispose of me, my prayers, intercessions, and graces,” which corresponds to my “right to avail myself to her and her energies for the sake of the kingdom.” This means that being consecrated to her gives me an obligation to offer all my prayers and energies towards what she sees fit. Even in deciding a topic for this reflection, I was planning on writing about something completely different until I experienced her gentle tug on my heart to write about Marian consecration instead. Although it can be challenging to surrender all of our plans to her, who could know better than Mary, who can see us from heaven? 

Obviously, it is much more than a contract; it is a covenant, and as theologian Scott Hahn points out, covenants involve exchanges of life. They say “I am yours, you are mine.” Marian consecration is the best way to begin a life-long, intimate relationship with Mary. If you have considered a Marian consecration in the past, here is your encouragement: begin it now! After consecrating myself to Mary, I have truly experienced the meaning of her words to St. Juan Diego of Guadalupe, “Let not your heart be disturbed... Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection? ... Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything.”