Mother Angelica: Made Her Act of Total Consecration

Dear Family,

W e are not called to put on the armor of the world, which is disorder, self-gratification, and greed. Rather, as Soldiers of Christ, we must be clothed in the armor of God, as described (Ephesians 6:14-17) by Saint Paul. There is no doubt that we are engaged in a tremendous spiritual battle. How reassuring it is to know that we are on the winning side and our Leader is none other than the One called “Faithful and True”! Jesus also gives us His Mother as a helper in all our troubles. Mary arms her little ones with her Rosary: the mighty weapon! Each Hail Mary of the Rosary is like a bullet used to fight away the foe. Let us provide Our Lady with much “ammunition,” especially during this month of October: the month of the Holy Rosary.

Devotion to Our Lady has always been dear to my heart and has served as my spiritual armor for many years now. When I was nineteen years old, I made the Consecration to Jesus through Mary, using the method prescribed by Saint Louis Marie de Montfort. I did this secretly, for at that time my mother was not yet reconciled with my new-found fervor. Each night, alone in my room, I quietly prepared for the great day when I would become a slave of Jesus through Mary. This Consecration is much more than a mere devotional exercise – it is a lifelong commitment of love between a Mother and her child. At long last, the day arrived and I pronounced the formula of Consecration with a zealous faith. The day was March 25, the great Solemnity of the Annunciation of Our Lady and the Incarnation of Our Lord. A few years later, at my Investiture Ceremony, I received the name Sister Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, and March 25 was chosen as my Feast Day. On the day of my Consecration, Jesus gave me the great gift of freedom, the kind of authentic freedom that only God can give, and He did this through the hands of Our Lady. By making this Consecration a soul hands everything over to Our Lady, and as a result of this, there is no need to worry! I have no fear of coming before Our Lord with empty hands. I will simply hide behind Our Lady, confident in her maternal care for my soul.

Ever since that great day, this love of the “Promised Woman” is central in my prayer life. Each morning I unite my day to Mary and offer it to the Trinity by praying: “Eternal Father, I unite all my thoughts today to the thoughts of Mary, and to You, Who are Eternal Thought. Dear Jesus, I unite all my words today to the words of Mary, and I unite them to You, Who are the Eternal Word. Dear Holy Spirit, I unite all my love and actions today to the love and actions of Mary, and I unite them to You, Who are Undying Love and Ceaseless Activity. Amen.”

Recently, Our Lady manifested her great intercessory power in my life once again. As all of you know, on January 28, 1998, while I was reciting the fourth Glorious Mystery of the Holy Rosary, Our Lady healed my legs, after forty years of pain. When I think of that night, gratitude for this great Mother fills my soul. I know that the miracle wasn’t only for me, for I never prayed to be healed and was not seeking any sort of sign from Our Lady or relief from suffering. But Jesus performed an awesome miracle through her intercession, and I firmly believe that the healing was primarily for you. She wanted you to believe in the power of her Son – this miracle was granted to heal your faith in God, to increase your love of Love, to renew your hope in His promises.

Family, Our Lady is the perfect Soldier of Christ. In Genesis, we read that Our Lady will crush the head of Satan! Indeed, she, more than any other creature, is well-armed for the intense spiritual combat. Mary shall bind Satan with the Rosary and cast him into the pit of Hell for all eternity. Yes, we are on the winning side and our Mother stands besides us, ready to come to our defense. Mary is the Faithful Mother, the Promised Woman, and the Brave Warrior! Family, let us thank Jesus for giving us His Mother. When we pray the Rosary, let us ask her for the courage to accept whatever the present moment may bring and to fight nobly the battles that confront us.

Prayerfully,
Mother M. Angelica

EWTN Family Newsletter No 149 October 1998

This article was written in October 1998 for the EWTN Newsletter family. It was reprinted and appeared in the November – December 1998 Queen of All Hearts Magazine.

From time to time we extract from the Queen of All Hearts archives some historical media and articles. We do this because we think QoAH members would enjoy reading about religious souls who have a connection with St. Louis de Montfort by either being members of The Association of Mary, and/or have made their Act of Total Consecration or who have been influenced by the saint. It is this reason you’ll see periodically a picture of a religious soul with Saint Louis de Montfort on this web site.

Previous articles that fall into this category include:

Saint Pope John Paul II: See this link and this link for two articles

Saint Pope Pius X: See this link

Founder of Legion of Mary: See this link to a special Q&A