Consecration

[JESOd]

A consecration of Mary was asked of my youth group this previous Sunday due to the Feast of Mary. Consecration is defined by completely devoting your life over to your saint... this one specificaly being Mary. If you give yourself completely over to Mary, how can you give yourself over to another as well because complete means 100%... you can't split that or that's not compleltely. So why completely give yourself over to Mary, when you can just do that directly to Jesus? I also understand that Mary always points everyone to Jesus, but why call any devotion upon herself or show any devotion to her if that's not what she wants?

In Him,
Shane

[Laudate_Dominum]

I can't recall ever seeing an official Church statement which would answer this question. But I was taught that formal consecration (like that of St. Louis de Montfort or St. Maximilian) is only appropriate with reference to Our Lady because she is the Mother of Christ and the Mother of the Church. Christ entrusted us to her from the cross and formal consecration in a way makes this reality more efficacious. However, one can have a special relationship with a particular saint and even in a sense entrust oneself to that saint. I kind of had a relationship like this with St. Therese during the first year of my conversion. But there is a qualitative difference because Mary alone is Mediatrix of All Grace, Advocate and Mother of the Church. She is the Mother of our interior lives.

I would also say that Marian consecration should not be taken lightly. I would recommend reading [u]True Devotion to Mary[/u] by St. Louis de Montfort before making the act so that you really understand what it means and what is involved.

God bless you