On December 12, 2023, nearly 200 St. Monica students and parishioners consecrated themselves to Jesus through Mary. To consecrate yourself to Mary means to take her in a special way as your mother, and to entrust yourself entirely to her care. Like all proper devotions, this practice has the ultimate end of conforming, uniting, and consecrating the faithful to Christ. We are confident that our community will receive great spiritual protection and many graces following this beautiful consecration!
We are excited to announce that our parish will reconsecrate for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe again this December! The thirty-three days of prayer begin on November 9, 2024. Click here for other start and end dates
Purchase a book or use the free PDF version online. Read True Devotion to learn more about the consecration and the commitment you are preparing to make.
Spend 20-40 minutes a day with the daily readings, reflections, and prayers. The volume and depth of daily content increases as the 33 days progress. These prayers may be said at any time throughout the day, either individually or in community.
If you miss a day of prayers, you have not failed in the preparation! Take the commitment of these thirty-three days seriously, but also understand the spirit of the preparation. You may still make the consecration if you feel that you have prepared yourself sincerely, even if you stumbled a bit along the way. Remember that this is a period designed to help you prepare; no part of the preparation or consecration is binding under the penalty of sin.
If possible, it is recommended that you make a sacramental confession within a week or so before the consecration, and you attend Mass and receive the Eucharist on the feast day you have selected. Following Mass (or at any point during the day if you cannot attend Mass), you will pray the act of consecration.
Once you have consecrated yourself through Mary, you remain consecrated through her for your entire life! You can always be assured of her special protection and care. It is recommended that you renew this consecration each year. Many choose to pray special devotional prayers and wear a consecration chain as a reminder.
The 33-day preparation period is demanding and not to be taken lightly. We should take seriously the commitment to prepare well for the consecration. At the same time, sometimes things slip through the cracks and you may find that you missed some or all of a day's prayers. Do not be scrupulous about this!
The point of the preparation is to be made ready to commit to the consecration. Perfection is not needed in order to do so, so do not feel obligated to double up one day to make up for lost time or worry that you are not ready. Offer up your forgetfulness or busyness and continue on to the next day.
For the parish-wide consecration, we used St. Louis de Montfort's 33-day preparation. De Montfort's is considered the most challenging, both in regard to the time spent with each day's preparation and the intensity of his writing.
Another popular version is 33 Days to Morning Glory, which provides more of an introduction to the consecration and Marian devotion.
For a shorter preparation, St. Maxamilian Kolbe has a nine-day preparation for consecration.
Finally, our middle school students used a 33-day preparation designed specifically for a younger audience. It's a great resource for families interested in making the consecration together!
Click here for a summary of the consecration introductory meetings from October 2023. Specific details pertain to the parish-wide consecration, but background information about the devotion is the same!
Click here for daily prayers.
Click here to listen to Deacon Lucas's October 14th, 2023 homily where he provides more context for the consecration at St. Monica. (The homily starts with St. Paul's letter to the Philippians.)
"The consecration chains serve as a reminder that the wearers have shaken off the chains of the slavery of the devil and have willingly taken upon themselves the glorious slavery of Jesus Christ."
-St. Louis de Montfort
Consecration to Jesus through Mary is "holy slavery" because those who make the consecration entrust their whole selves to Our Lady, knowing that she will take them as her own property and purify them before the Lord. These chains are a reminder of the bonds of love that tie them to Our Lord and Our Lady.
If you have made the consecration but did not get a chain during the December 12th reception, feel free to stop by the parish office to pick one up. They will be available Monday-Thursday from 9:00-3:00 every week.