Consecration
What is consecration?
Consecration means setting yourself aside for service to God. The Church has always advocated consecrating yourself to Jesus Christ through the Blessed Virgin, the perfect model of discipleship.
Perhaps the best known advocate of Marian consecration is St. Louis de Montfort (d. 1716). Modern day promoters include Pope John Paul II, who recommends an “act of entrustment” to Mary (the Holy Father’s papal motto is an enthusiastic Totus Tuus, “Totally Yours.”) All methods are equally worthy; Kolbean consecration adds a clear apostolic dimension. You become a member of an international movement dedicated to the conversion and sanctification of the world and share in the maternal mission of Mary. The MI is one of the few canonically approved public associations whose mission, like that of the Catholic Church, is universal.
Am I Ready to Consecrate Myself Totally to Mary and Join the MI?
The spirit of the MI is the spirit of continual conversion. Not everyone who enrolls as a member understands perfectly in the beginning the power of this consecration. But when lived in the spirit of willingness and humility, the Immaculata will elevate our natural gifts and inspire us to holiness and fruitful service within the Church. As Jesus said to those who would stand up and follow him: “Even greater things than these will you do.”
“Maximilian Kolbe is a prophet and a sign of the new era, the civilization of love.” Pope John Paul II
How Do I Enroll in the MI?
Select the date on which you want your name recorded in the official register of the MI, preferably a Marian feast day. Please select from the list of dates here below or choose your own special feast date. Then, complete the enrollment application which will be submitted to the MI Canada Office in Kewlona, BC.
Marian Feast Days
- Jan 1 – Solemnity of the Mother of God
- Feb 11 – Our Lady of Lourdes
- Mar 25 – Annunciation
- May 13 – Our Lady of Fatima
- May 31 – Visitation
- June 27 – Our Lady of Perpetual Help
- July 16 – Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
- Aug 15 – Assumption
- Aug 22 – Queenship of Mary
- Sept 8 – Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Sept 15 – Our Lady of Sorrows
- Oct 7 – Our Lady of the Rosary
- Nov 21 – Presentation of Mary
- Nov 27 – Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
- Dec 8 – Immaculate Conception
- Dec 12 – Our Lady of Guadalupe
Prepare yourself for the day of consecration by daily Mass if possible, the Rosary, spiritual reading and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation on or before the day of your consecration.
On the day of your enrollment, recite the official act of consecration. Renounce attachment to sin and if possible attend Mass. (A Plenary Indulgence is granted by the Church under the usual conditions: Confession, Communion, a visit to a Church and prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father, must be included. It may be satisfied on the day of your enrollment or within the following eight days.) In this way you will be making an effort to remove all obstacles to Our Lady making you her own in the Holy Spirit.
Finally, ask Our Lady and St. Maximilian to show you how you can best serve the Lord from this moment on.
MI Consecration Prayer
(Composed by St. Maximilian Kolbe)
O Immaculata, Queen of Heaven and earth, refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother, God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to you. I, (name), a repentant sinner, cast myself at your feet, humbly imploring you to take me with all that I am and have, wholly to yourself as your possession and property. Please make of me, of all my powers of soul and body, of my whole life, death and eternity, whatever most pleases you.
If it pleases you, use all that I am and have without reserve, wholly to accomplish what was said of you: “She will crush your head,” and “You alone have destroyed all heresies in the whole world. ” Let me be a fit instrument in your immaculate and merciful hands for introducing and increasing your glory to the maximum in all the many strayed and indifferent souls, and thus help extend as far as possible the blessed kingdom of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For wherever you enter you obtain the grace of conversion and growth in holiness, since it is through your hands that all graces come to us from the most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
V. Allow me to praise you, O sacred Virgin
R. Give me strength against your enemies
Consecration for Our Times
What do these people have in common?
Consecration to Mary!
Marian consecration is not an archaic spirituality but is a living and active means to advance the Faith as a People of God. In 1992, Pope John Paul II developed our understanding of this devotion even further. By dying for another and “consecrating his life to the Immaculate Virgin,” Maximilian has become, suggests the Holy Father, a “prophet and a sign of the new era, the civilization of love.” Here, John Paul is clearly endorsing the Kolbean example of Marian consecration as a critical element of his “new evangelization” for the third Christian millennium, and St. Maximilian as a primary intercessor.
Who taught St. Maximilian the joy of giving until it hurt? Our Lady – to whom he had entrusted everything.
The same will be true of us. If we entrust ourselves to Our Lady, she will teach us the joy of loving like Jesus.”
Mother Teresa”
Plenary Indulgence Granted to Members of the MI
A Plenary Indulgence is available upon enrolment in the MI
A Plenary Indulgence – the complete remission of temporal punishment in purgatory due to sin – is granted by the Church for enrolment in the MI. This great honour was bestowed on the Movement by Pope Pius XI in 1926.
To receive the indulgence, you must:
- Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation within the eight days preceding your enrolment;. Attend Mass and receive Holy Communion on the day of your enrolment;
- Pray at least an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be for the intentions of the Holy Father; and
- Renounce all attachment to sin, even venial sin, on your enrolment day
Preparation for the Consecration to the Immaculate
The main six chapters of Behold Your Mother! are made available in PDF format. These files are copyrighted but may be printed and reproduced, without changes, for use in preparing for consecration.
Preparation for MI Consecration Part 1
Preparation for MI Consecration Part 2
Preparation for MI Consecration Part 3
Preparation for MI Consecration Part 4
Preparation for MI Consecration Part 5
Preparation for MI Consecration Part 6
An eight-part series on the Militia of the Immaculata (MI) complements the six-part series on Preparation for Consecration to the Immaculata in the Spirit of St. Maximilian Kolbe (both are included in the booklet Behold Your Mother!). These files are copyrighted but may be printed and reproduced, without changes, for use in preparing for consecration to Mary in the MI.