What is consecration to Our Lady?
Awaiting theological review
The simple answer
To consecrate yourself to Our Lady is to entrust yourself, your life and your day, to Mary as your mother, so that she may help you live your Baptism more fully and belong more completely to Jesus. It can be as short as a prayer said every morning, or a longer path of preparation that ends with a solemn act on a feast of Mary. Strictly speaking, consecration belongs to God alone: we give ourselves to Mary so that she may lead us to him, as she did at Cana when she said: do whatever he tells you.
In the Bible
From the Cross, Jesus gives Mary to the beloved disciple as his mother and the disciple to her as her son; from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
John 19:25–27At the Annunciation Mary gives herself entirely to God's plan: behold the handmaid of the Lord.
Luke 1:38At Cana, Mary sends the servants to Jesus: whatever he tells you, do it. Every true devotion to Mary ends there.
John 2:5Christian tradition reads the gift at the Cross as being for every disciple: Mary is mother of all who follow her Son.
John 19:26–27Where it comes from
Entrusting oneself to Mary as her servant appears in Christian writers from the first millennium, and grew with the Marian devotion of the Middle Ages.
Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673–1716) spread the total consecration to Jesus through Mary, prepared over about a month. His book, True Devotion to Mary, was rediscovered in 1842. John Paul II took his episcopal motto, Totus tuus, all yours, from it.
Peoples have also been entrusted to Mary: in 1646 King John IV proclaimed Our Lady of the Conception patroness of Portugal; in 1930 Pius XI declared Our Lady Aparecida patroness of Brazil.
Pius XII consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1942; John Paul II renewed the act of entrustment in 1984, in union with the bishops; Pope Francis consecrated Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on 25 March 2022.
Dates awaiting verification against vatican.va(awaiting verification)What the Church teaches
The Church's devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship, but it differs essentially from the adoration given to God alone.
CCC 971Mary is the perfect praying one, a figure of the Church; like the beloved disciple, we can take Jesus' mother into our homes, and pray with her and to her.
CCC 2679By her complete adherence to the will of the Father, Mary is the model of faith and charity for the Church.
CCC 967John Paul II described this act as a filial entrusting to Mary, in response to the love of a mother; the Directory on Popular Piety notes that, in the strict sense, one consecrates oneself to God.
John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater 45 (awaiting verification)(awaiting verification) Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, 204(awaiting verification)How to do it
- 1
Every day
A short prayer of consecration, such as O my Queen, my Mother, in the morning or at night. It takes less than a minute.
- 2
Total consecration
Saint Louis de Montfort proposes a preparation of about 33 days, with prayer and reading, ending with an act of consecration on a feast of Mary, such as the Annunciation (25 March) or the Immaculate Conception (8 December).
- 3
Renew it
Many people renew their consecration every year on the same feast, or every day with a short prayer.
- 4
Live it
Consecration shows in life: prayer, the sacraments, love of neighbour. Mary always says the same thing: do whatever he tells you.
A common misunderstanding
Consecrating yourself to Mary means putting her in God's place.
In fact
Mary is a creature, not a goddess. Consecration to her is a way to Jesus: you entrust yourself to her so that she may lead you to her Son, as she always does.
Why it matters today
You do not need to start with anything long. Say the short prayer O my Queen each morning for a week, and ask Mary to help you live that day as Jesus would want. If it helps you, you can later prepare a full consecration with a parish group.
Bible passages
John 19:25–27 · Luke 1:38 · John 2:5Catechism
People and saints
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Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, 204 ↗awaiting verification
John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater 45 (awaiting verification)awaiting verification
Dates awaiting verification against vatican.vaawaiting verification