How to Pray Marian Consecration

Marian consecration encourages us to trust and love Mary as Jesus did so that we, too, might devote ourselves more fully to Him.

This devotion is necessary, simply and solely because it is a way of reaching Jesus perfectly, loving Him tenderly, and serving him faithfully.

St. Louis de Montfort

On Hallow, commit to praying for 33 days with one of the two Marian Consecrations on the app led by Sr. Miriam James Heidland. You can pray the traditional 33 days of preparation for the Act of Consecration, drawing from Scripture, St. Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary, and Thomas à Kempis’ Imitation of Christ. Or, you can pray with the more recent and popular 33 Days to Morning Glory from the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. This consecration leads us through the powerful examples of St. Louis de Montfort, St. Maximilian Kolbe, Mother Teresa, and Pope St. John Paul II, one week at a time.

Marian Consecration Overview

  1. What is Marian consecration?
  2. Countries consecrated to the Blessed Mother
  3. Why consecrate yourself to Mary, Our Mother?
  4. When should I begin a Marian consecration?
  5. How to pray: Marian consecration
  6. Final preparation for the Act of Consecration
  7. Act of Consecration
  8. Further reading
  9. Related prayers

What is Marian consecration?

“Consecration” is the act of dedicating something to a “sacred purpose.” “Marian” refers to Mary, the most Blessed Virgin, and Mother of God. When we put the two terms together, we understand that Marian Consecration is the act of entrusting our souls to Mary. We look to Mary as our spiritual Mother and ask for her guidance to grow in holiness and deepen our relationship with Him.

Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.

St. Maximilian Kolbe

Origin

Traditionally, Marian consecrations include thirty-three days of preparation, culminating in a formal Act of Consecration to Mary on the final day. This structure comes from St. Louis de Montfort, who lived during the seventeenth century and wrote True Devotion to Mary.

While St. Louis de Montfort is known for popularizing the thirty-three-day Marian Consecration, people have long looked to Mary to grow closer to Jesus. In Jesus’ last words on the cross, he told the disciple John to look to Mary as his Mother.

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

John 19: 25-27

Jesus, in his final moments, points us to Mary. He showed us that through entrusting ourselves to Mary and allowing her to clothe us in her immense love, we might grow closer to Him.

Prepare Your Heart for Marian Consecration

Countries consecrated to the Blessed Mother

While many individuals decide to consecrate themselves to Mary, the Pope can also consecrate certain groups or countries to Mary through the Act of Consecration. Pope Francis consecrated Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the Feast of the Annunciation (March 25, 2022). He said,

This is no magic formula but a spiritual act. It is an act of complete trust on the part of children who, amid the tribulation of this cruel and senseless war that threatens our world, turn to their Mother. It is like what young children do when they are scared; they turn to their mother for protection.  We turn to our Mother, reposing all our fears and pain in her heart and abandoning ourselves to her. It means placing in that pure and undefiled heart, where God is mirrored, the inestimable goods of fraternity and peace, all that we have and are, so that she, the Mother whom the Lord has given us, may protect us and watch over us.

Pope Francis, March 25, 2022 at the Vatican Basilica

Pope Francis encourages us to pray for Mary’s intercession in Russia and Ukraine during this devastating war. This trust in the Blessed Mother underlies that which St. Louis de Montfort spurs us to cultivate as we prepare our hearts for Marian Consecration. As Pope Francis said,

If we want the world to change, then first our hearts must change. […] Today, renewed by forgiveness, may we too knock at the door of her immaculate heart.

Pope Francis, March 25, 2022 at the Vatican Basilica

Why consecrate yourself to Mary, Our Mother?

Many people will ask, why not just consecrate yourself to Jesus?

Marian consecration is consecrating one’s self to Jesus through Mary. Through Marian consecration, we know Jesus more fully through Mary’s love for Him and the entire world.

Let us run to Mary, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.

St. Francis de Sales

Mary’s intercession

As our Blessed Mother, Mary is our refuge, guide, and nurturer; she intercedes on our behalf so that we might live more like Christ and grow in holiness. Mary inspires us to say fully say “yes” to God’s will, no matter what each day brings. As St. Josemaría Escrivá said, “Love our Lady, and she will obtain abundant grace to help you conquer in your daily struggle.”

As Scott Smith writes,

“When we consecrate ourselves to Mary, we give her our entire lives as well as the merits of all our prayers. We give Mary all our works in order to belong more fully to Jesus. We also do this so that Mary can do far greater things with our small offerings. We give Mary everything, so she can present it all to Jesus.”

Marian consecration is a commitment to Mary, Our Mother, to lead our hearts fully to Jesus. Mary, however, already has you wrapped in her love, well before you decide to prepare for the Act of Consecration formally.

When should I begin a Marian consecration?

Making a Marian Consecration requires an immense amount of discipline. Before you begin preparing to make the Act of Consecration, consider if this is a good season for you to make this commitment to Mary. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in your discernment of Marian Consecration. After all, this is a lifelong commitment to the Blessed Mother.

Traditional dates for Marian consecration

Traditionally, people plan Marian consecrations to make the Act of Consecration on a Marian feast day. 

Common beginning and end dates for Marian consecration include, but aren’t limited to:

Discern which timeline works best for your prayer life

With Hallow, you can begin a Marian consecration any day of the year, though we recommend being intentional when choosing when to start your Marian consecration. Make this commitment during a season of your life in which you can most fully dedicate yourself to growing in devotion to Jesus through Mary, Our Mother. The 33-day Marian consecration to Jesus through Mary will always be available on the app. 

How to pray Marian consecration

On Hallow, Sr. Miriam (English) guides us through four preparation periods before making the Act of Consecration.

  1. Reflection and purification of the heart (Days 1 – 12)
  2. Grow in knowledge of self and our need for God (Days 13 – 19)
  3. Grow in knowledge of Mary and her intercession in our lives (Days 20 – 26)
  4. Through Mary and the Holy Spirit, grow in understanding of Christ (Days 27 – 33)

In the Spanish version, Padre Angel will focus on one saint each week and how that saint understood and taught the Marian consecration:

  • St. Louis de Monfort
  • St. Maximilian Kolbe
  • St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta
  • St. John Paul II

We encourage you to pray with Hallow or another guide as you prepare to consecrate yourself to Mary.

Many people also pray the Rosary daily in preparing for the Act of Consecration.

Time needed: 35 minutes

How to pray in preparation for Marian consecration (33 days of prayer)

  1. Make the Sign of the Cross.

    “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

  2. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray.

    “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of Thy love. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.”

  3. Examine your conscience.

    Where have you noticed God in your life? Where might you need His mercy and grace?

    As you pray with the Hallow App, Sr. Miriam and Padre Ángel will ask questions relevant to the four preparation periods. To learn more about this practice in a greater context of prayer, read about the Examen.

  4. Meditate with Scripture or theological writings.

    On Hallow, Sr. Miriam will lead us through various readings from the Bible, True Devotion to Mary, and the Imitation of Christ. Like the questions to prompt reflection about God in our lives, these readings will align with the four preparation periods as you grow closer to Christ through the love of Our Mother.

  5. Let the closing prayers wash over you.

    “Hail, O Star of the ocean, God’s own Mother blest, ever sinless Virgin, gate of heav’nly rest.”
    (Ave Maris Stella prayer)


    During the first 12 days of Marian consecration, Sr. Miriam leads us in four prayers: Veni Creator, Ave Maris Stella, Magnificat, and the Glory Be.

    Days 13 – 26: Litany of the Holy Ghost, Litany of Loreto, Ave Maris Stella, and St. Louis de Montfort’s Prayer to Mary

    Days 27 – 33: Litany of the Holy Ghost, Litany of Loreto, Ave Maris Stella, the Rosary, and St. Louis de Montfort’s Prayer to Mary.

  6. Conclude with the Sign of the Cross.

    “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

Final preparation for the Act of Consecration

After 33 days of preparation and growing to understand better yourself, Mary, and through her and the Holy Spirit, Christ, it is time to make the formal Act of Consecration.

In True Devotion to Mary, St. Louis de Montfort urges those making the Act of Consecration to engage in spiritual penance, such as fasting, almsgiving, or praying intentionally for someone. He also encourages us to go to Confession before making the formal consecration.

Finally, on the day of consecration, St. Louis de Montfort instructs us to go to Mass, receive the Holy Sacrament, and pray the Act of Consecration after Mass in front of the tabernacle or the exposed Blessed Sacrament in Adoration.

Before going to Mass, print or write out the Act of Consecration to remind you of your total devotion to Jesus through Mary, Our Mother. Some even sign the Act of Consecration to symbolize their formal lifelong commitment.

Download the Act of Consecration to sign at hallow.com/act-of-consecration, or click below:

Download: Act of Consecration

The Act of Consecration

Originally written by St. Louis de Montfort and adapted by Hallow, we are so grateful to Scott Smith for sharing his translation of St. Louis de Montfort’s Act of Consecration.

“O, Eternal and Incarnate Wisdom!

O sweetest and most adorable Jesus! True God and true man, only Son of the Eternal Father, and of Mary, always virgin! I adore You profoundly in the bosom and splendors of Your Father during eternity, and I adore You also in the virginal bosom of Mary, Your most worthy Mother, in the time of Your incarnation.

I give You thanks that You have annihilated Yourself, taking the form of a slave in order to rescue me from the cruel slavery of the devil. I praise and glorify You for You have been pleased to submit Yourself to Mary, Your holy Mother, in all things, in order to make me faithful through her.

But, alas! Ungrateful and faithless as I have been, I have not kept the promises which I made so solemnly to You in my Baptism. I have not fulfilled my obligations. I do not deserve to be called Your child. I dare not come by myself before You, most holy and august Majesty. It is on this account that I have recourse to the intercession of Your most holy Mother, whom You have given me for a mediatrix with You. It is through her that I hope to obtain from You the following: contrition, the pardon of my sins, and the acquisition and preservation of wisdom.

Hail, then, O Immaculate Mary, living tabernacle of the Divinity, where the Eternal Wisdom willed to be hidden and to be adored by angels and by men! Hail, O Queen of Heaven and earth, to whose empire everything is subject which is under God. Hail, O sure refuge of sinners, whose mercy fails no one. Hear the desires which I have of the Divine Wisdom. For that end, receive the vows and offerings which I present to you in my lowliness.

I, ____________, renew and ratify today in your hands the vows of my Baptism. I renounce forever Satan, his pomps and works. I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after Him all the days of my life, and to be more faithful to Him than I have ever been before. In the presence of all the heavenly court, I choose you this day for my Mother. I deliver and consecrate to you my body and soul, my goods, both interior and exterior, and even the value of all my good actions, past, present, and future. I leave to you the entire and full right of disposing of me and all that belongs to me, without exception, according to your good pleasure, for the greater glory of God in time and in eternity.

Receive, O kindest Virgin, this little offering, in honor of, and in union with, that subjection which the Eternal Wisdom deigned to have to your maternity. Receive this little offering in homage to the power which both of you have over this poor sinner. Receive this little offering also in thanksgiving for the privileges with which the Holy Trinity has favored you. I declare that I wish henceforth to seek your honor and to obey you in all things.

O admirable Mother, present me to your dear Son. As He has redeemed me by you, by you may He receive me! O Mother of mercy, grant me the grace to obtain the true Wisdom of God. For that end, receive me among those whom you love and teach, whom you lead, nourish, and protect as your children.

O faithful Virgin, make me in all things so perfect a disciple of the Incarnate Wisdom, Jesus Christ your Son, that I may attain, by Your intercession and by your example, to the fullness of His age on earth and of His glory in Heaven. Amen.”

Find the Marian consecration on Hallow under the Community tab. We look forward to praying with you!

Pray with Hallow

Further reading

If you are interested in reading more about Marian Consecration, we recommend the following books:

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