Consecration
How to Make the 33-Day Preparation for Marian Consecration
Marian consecration · 8 steps
The schedule of Saint Louis de Montfort: twelve preliminary days and three weeks of prayer and reading, timed to end on the eve of a Marian feast, followed by the act of consecration.
8 steps · About 20 minutes
Saint Louis de Montfort (1673-1716) did not want the consecration made lightly, so he laid out a period of preparation: twelve days spent emptying oneself of the spirit of the world, then three weeks devoted in turn to knowing oneself, knowing Mary and knowing Jesus Christ. Thirty-three days honour the years of Our Lord's earthly life. Each day takes about twenty minutes of prayer and reading; the point is not to complete a syllabus but to arrive at the feast day free, humble and in love. Saint John Paul II, whose motto Totus tuus came from de Montfort, described the reading of True Devotion as 'a decisive turning point' in his life.
What you need
- True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin by Saint Louis de Montfort, or a preparation book based on it
- A Bible and, if you have one, The Imitation of Christ, which the traditional readings draw on
- The date of the Marian feast you will consecrate yourself on
- About twenty minutes a day for 33 days
- A rosary
When to pray it
Begin 33 days before the feast so that the last day falls on its eve. Traditional starting dates: 9 January for Our Lady of Lourdes (11 February); 20 February for the Annunciation (25 March; 21 February in a leap year); 10 April for Our Lady of Fatima (13 May); 13 July for the Assumption (15 August); 4 September for Our Lady of the Rosary (7 October); 5 November for the Immaculate Conception (8 December); 9 November for Our Lady of Guadalupe (12 December).
Steps
Step 1: Choose the feast and count back 33 days
Decide which feast of Our Lady you will make the consecration on, then count back so that the preparation begins 33 days before it and ends on its eve; the act is prayed on the feast itself. Write the dates of each stage in your calendar: days 1-12, then the three weeks of seven days each.
Tips
- A missed day is not a failure; simply continue where you left off. The dates are a help, not a law.
- Keep the daily prayers short enough to say every day; consistency matters more than volume.
- Make notes: a line each day on what struck you will be the best preparation for the act itself.
- Praying the schedule with a group — a parish, a family, a few friends — is the traditional way, and it makes the feast a shared celebration.