Bird’s Eye View of True Devotion

I. What does true devotion to Mary as taught by St. Louis Mary de Montfort consist in?

This devotion consists. 1 – in a TOTAL CONSECRATION of one-self to Mary, as a slave of love, so as to belong completely to Christ through her; 2 – in LIVING that consecration, that is, by depending on Mary for all things after the example of Christ at Nazareth.

II. What are the obligations Involved in making this consecration?

By this consecration, we promise Our Blessed Mother to live (to the best of our ability) in dependence on her; we promise to do all our actions for her and in union with her. As this spirit of dependence on Mary is acquired only gradually and with perseverance, Our Blessed Mother does not expect so much from beginners as from those who have been practicing this devotion for years. Fr. de Montfort says explicitly that ”it will not be equally understood by everybody. Some will stop at what is exterior in It, and will go no further, and these will be the greatest number. Some, in small number, will enter into its inward spirit,’ but they will only mount one step. Who will mount to the second step? Who will get as far as the third? etc. . . .” (True Devotion, no. 119) .

III. What are the advantages of this consecration?

St. Louis de Montfort enumerates them in detail, in his Treatise on True Devotion to Mary. Here are a few culled at random. 1 – ”This devotion makes us give to Jesus and Mary, without reserve, all our thoughts, words, actions and sufferings, every moment of our life, … whether we are awake or sleep, whether we eat or drink, whether we do great actions or very little ones, it is always true to say that, whatever we do, even without thinking of it, is by virtue of our offering, at least If It has not been intentionally retracted, done for Jesus and Mary. What a consolation this is”.

2 – Mary ”never lets herself be out done in love and liberality “. . . seeing that we give ourselves entirely to her, to honor and serve her . . . meets us in the same spirit. She also gives her whole self and gives it in an unspeakable manner, to him who gives all to her.” 3 – “As by this practice we give Our Lord, by His Mother’s hands, all our good works, that good Mother purifies them, embellishes them and makes them acceptable to her Son.” (no. 146).

IV. What are the exterior practices of this consecration?

1—First there is the 33-day preparation. 2 – The recitation of the Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin, composed of 3 Our Fathers and 12 Hail Mary’s, in honor of Our Lady’s twelve privileges and grandeurs. 3 – The wearing of a little chain or medal. This practice is not obligatory, but as Montfort tells us, it greatly helps in reminding us of our slavery’ of Jesus in Mary. (The ordinary chain which members of the Association of Mary, Queen of All Hearts, wear with their medal may serve – and most fittingly – as a sign of their holy servitude.) 4 – One must have a special devotion to the Mystery of the Incarnation, (Jesus living in Mary), which is the mystery proper to this devotion. 5 – A great love for the Holy Rosary. 6 – To recite often the d Magnificat. 7 – To have a great contempt for the world and its maxims.

V. What are the interior practices of this consecration ?

The interior practices of this consecration consist in doing all one’s actions THROUGH Mary, WITH Mary, IN Mary, and FOR Mary. In other words, it means that we must live our daily lives in union with Mary, as we shall explain in answer #9.

VI. In what [ways]does this consecration differ from other consecrations to Mary?

First of all, by this consecration, you really give yourself entirely to Mary with all that you have and are; where- as, most of the other consecrations merely put you under Mary’s protection. Secondly, by this consecration, you give everything to Mary, and to Jesus through her, even to the value of your good actions so that she may dispose of them according to her good pleasure for God’s greater glory. Finally, this consecration makes you give yourself to Mary forever, not merely for a limited time.

VII. May I make this consecration?

You certainly may, providing you have a sufficient knowledge of what it consists in, you have prepared your-self seriously and you wish to give yourself entirely to Jesus through the hands of His holy Mother. No matter what your age or condition in life, whether you be a lay person or a religious, learned or ignorant, this perfect consecration is open to you. Saints and Popes have made it; humble folk and children too. Fr. de Montfort preached it to all . . . to all who would listen to him and put it into practice.

VIII. How do you make this consecration ?

First, select a special feast of Our Lady on which you consecrate and sacrifice to Mary, freely and without restraint, entirely and lovingly, 1) your body with all its senses; 2) your soul with all its faculties; 3) your exterior goods of fortune, whether present or to come; 4) your interior and spiritual goods, which are your merits and virtues, and your good works, past, present and future. In a word, you give her all that you have in the order of nature and in the order of grace, and all that may become yours in the future, in the orders of nature, grace and glory.

For this you may make use of St. Louis de Montfort’s formula of consecration. You will find it in several books, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, The Secret of Mary. and Preparation for Total Consecration. It is good to sign your consecration on the day you make it. Fr. de Montfort urges you to make a special sacrifice on that day, even if it be but the lighting of a candle, in Mary’s honor. Finally, send in your name to the Association of Mary, Queen of All Hearts (or complete the online enrollment form on this website), so that you may become a member and thus participate in the indulgences that Rome has granted to its members on certain days of the year.

IX. How do you live this consecration?

To live this consecration, St. Louis de Montfort tells us that we must do all our actions THROUGH Mary, WITH Mary, IN Mary, and FOR Mary. A word on each of these practices.

THROUGH MARY means that ”we must never go to Our Lord except through Mary, through her intercession and her influence with Him.” It means that we must obey her in all things and, in all things, be led by her spirit.

WITH MARY means that we must take Mary as the perfect model of all that we do.

IN MARY signifies that we must become accustomed, little by little, to recollect ourselves interiorly and thus try to form within us some idea or spiritual image of Mary. This we can do by meditating often on her grandeurs and privileges.

FOR MARY means to do all one’s actions for her, for her glory, making her the immediate end of our actions and for the glory of God, which must be their final end.

Editors Note: These are two Spiritual Media sets on Living Your Total Consecration. The audio is here, and the video is here.

X. Is this perfect consecration embodied in any special form of devotion ? Is it fostered by any organization?

1—The devotion that embodies this perfect consecration and that corresponds to Montfort’s idea of it is called Devotion to MARY, QUEEN OF ALL HEARTS. By honoring Mary under this title, the slave of Mary is reminded continually of Mary’s rights over his soul, and of his corresponding duties to her, and to Christ through her.
2—The official organization created to foster this perfect consecration is the ASSOCIATION OF MARY QUEEN OF ALL HEARTS. Established in 1899, it is now spread throughout the world.

XI. What can I do to promote this perfect consecration?

1 – Promote the works of Fr. de Montfort: his True Devotion to Mary, and his shorter work The Secret of Mary. See the Video menu for links to both titles.

2 – Become a promoter of Mary’s magazine, The Queen which aims at explaining this perfect consecration for souls like you who wish to love and serve Mary the perfect way! Also, promote the Queen of All Hearts website, which makes Marian Spirituality According to St. Louis de Montfort and media freely available to members and non-members.

3 – Include in your prayers the works of The Company of Mary and their ministries.

XII. Is there a special formula for the Montfort Consecration ?

The Act of Consecration to Mary may be found in the Gray Preparation book.