Marian consecration?

  • Thread starter Thread starter newcalling
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
N

newcalling

Guest
The blessed Holy Mother, Theotokos, Mary has long been a part of my life, even when I was a child. That fact surprises most people because no one taught me about her as a child, despite having a Catholic family, and because I am only now, at almost 42, joining the Roman Catholic church. I have been protestant of many stripes, pagan and interfaith. The Holy Mother tried to call me to the church twice before.

Anyway, without going into details, suffice it to say that I love the Holy Mother deeply. I have been hearing various talks on consecration to Jesus through Mary, Marian consecration, and I am interested in learning more. A few questions.

What is a good resource for learning more about Marian consecration?

Do you recommend the Saint Louis de Mumford method or another?

Do I have to or should I wait until after first confession and first communion? I was baptized Catholic as a baby.

Do I have to do anything official, or is it entirely personal?

I am attending adult catechism classes, and I should receive first communion on Pentecost the last I heard.
 
You can learn as much about Mary as you want. There is so much, and there are so many devotions I wouldn’t advise being too quick to commit to any particular one and find out what works more or less for you.

As far as “being consecrated” and all I can’t tell you; my wife knows more than I do. But why not learn all you can? With Google these days it’s so easy to find good information. 🙂

But your age of 42 reminds me of something. I was a “cradle Catholic” as well. I was active in the Church most of my life (except a couple years hiatus around college time) but was 42 (this was in 2001) when I first heard of the “spiritual journey” or “contemplative prayer” or anything involving certain doctors of the Church such as St John of the Cross, only promoted to “Dr.” less than 100 years ago so that’s kind of new as Catholicism goes. And the ancient book the Cloud of the Unknowing – it isn’t for everybody but I found it really inspiring.

I first heard about all of this kind of stuff, from my first “spiritual director” my wife set me up with upon recommendation by a friend. Oh yeah, that was even the first time I’d heard of “Spiritual Direction.”

So yeah, it’s pretty easy to miss out on some of the most valuable things the Church has to offer. It’s like all this was Well-Kept secrets. But not anymore, because we all have Internet access to everything! Yay! Right? 🙂

MS
 
newcalling said:
What is a good resource for learning more about Marian consecration?
Click to expand...
“33 Days to Morning Glory” and “God Alone: The Collected Writings of St. Louis Marie de Montfort” are two of the best resources you’ll find.

I also recommend these links:
marian.org/
fisheaters.com/totalconsecrationmontfort.html

The Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception also have a couple apps available on iTunes. One on Divine Mercy and the other Mary.

There is also a podcast by Paul Elarde called “Cradio >> A Minute with Mary” which has a couple episodes on consecration.
Do you recommend the Saint Louis de Mumford method or another?
Click to expand...
The De Montfort method is a very taxing method. I’ve tried it a couple times, but the combination of the readings and the long list of prayers can be tedious at times. It’s a good form, but it has it’s drawbacks.

33 Days to Morning Glory is based on De Montfort, but it emphasizes more the readings and meditating on them rather than praying a litany everyday. It’s definitely much simpler, but not without flaws either. When I tried it I didn’t really feel like I was accomplishing anything. But that’s a personal opinion and I would still encourage you if this is the method you want to use.

What’s great about 33 Days is Fr. Gaitley brings in the teachings of Saints who lived long after De Montfort’s death. St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. John Paul the Great, and Bl. Mother Theresa. They were all moved by De Montfort’s consecration, and built upon his foundation. Fr. Gaitley combines all their thoughts into one process.
Do I have to or should I wait until after first confession and first communion? I was baptized Catholic as a baby.
Click to expand...
I do not believe there is any requirement to wait until first communion, but I would recommend it. There is an indulgence that can be obtained, but in order to receive it you must go to confession during the 8 days prior to your consecration and receive communion on the day of consecration.
Do I have to do anything official, or is it entirely personal?
Click to expand...
It is entirely personal, but you can do more if you choose. There are confraternities set up that you can enroll in.
 
Thank you for excellent information. I will wait until after I receive the sacraments, so that I can take communion at the appropriate times. I will also look into various confraternaties. I recently listened to an hour long talk by Father Gaitley about Marian consecration and His Holiness Saint Pope John Paul 2. (Though when the talk was made he was not yet a saint) I am very interested in Father Gaitley’s book. I will have to get a copy and squeeze it into my reading list. I can push other books to later on the list so that I can read it sooner. I’m sure that the Mother will lead me to the right method for me. In many ways I already feel consecrated to her, but I look forward to going through the process of consecration. Thank you all again.
 
The Kolbean formula is less rigorous and once consecrated you can enroll in the Militia Immaculata (MI). This their website Militia of the Immaculata but the directions are hard to find (I couldn’t find them anyway) so I found this How to Consecrate Yourself to the Immaculate Mary (St Maximilian Kolbe’s Method).

Confession and communion are are a part of the consecration so you will have to wait until your reception into the Church. You could still wear the miraculous medal and say the prayers. It is recommended to do the consecration on a Marian feast day so that might extend your wait.

Also, you may chose to do both the Monfortean and Kolbean formulas. I do know that the MI consecration is not exclusive, as in it doesn’t conflict with other devotions or apostolates, so one can be enrolled in the MI and also be a Third Order Carmelite.
 
Bruised_Reed said:
The Kolbean formula is less rigorous and once consecrated you can enroll in the Militia Immaculata (MI). This their website Militia of the Immaculata but the directions are hard to find (I couldn’t find them anyway) so I found this How to Consecrate Yourself to the Immaculate Mary (St Maximilian Kolbe’s Method).

Confession and communion are are a part of the consecration so you will have to wait until your reception into the Church. You could still wear the miraculous medal and say the prayers. It is recommended to do the consecration on a Marian feast day so that might extend your wait.

Also, you may chose to do both the Monfortean and Kolbean formulas. I do know that the MI consecration is not exclusive, as in it doesn’t conflict with other devotions or apostolates, so one can be enrolled in the MI and also be a Third Order Carmelite.
Click to expand...
Here’s a little more info both on Kolbe’s method and on Consecration in general:

fisheaters.com/totalconsecrationkolbe.html
fisheaters.com/totalconsecration.html
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top