Consecrate Your Family to Jesus through Mary

10-20-2019Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of our parish, the 50th anniversary of the Diocese of Phoenix, and the Jubilee Year of the Family, Bishop Olmsted invites all Catholics in our diocese to consecrate their family to Jesus through Mary. I encourage each family of St. Bernadette and St. John XXIII to make this consecration together.

Why would it be important for you to consecrate you and your family to Jesus Through Mary? Consecrating your family to Jesus through Mary on the feast of our patroness, Our Lady of Guadalupe is a wonderful way to strengthen your family and invite many graces into your home and your hearts. "Consecrating ourselves to Mary means accepting Her help to offer ourselves and the whole of mankind to Him who is holy, infinitely holy; it means accepting Her help—by having recourse to Her motherly heart, which beneath the cross was opened to love for every human being, for the whole world—in order to offer the world, the individual human being, mankind as a whole, and all the nations to him who is infinitely holy." – St. John Paul II, homily at Fatima (May 13, 1982)

What is Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary? A total consecration to Our Lord Jesus through His Blessed Mother is a beautiful holy exercise that gives you the opportunity to increase your spirituality and ability to truly serve our Lord Jesus Christ by opening your heart to Him who loves you. The basic idea, as given to us by St. Louis Marie de Montfort, is simply that Jesus came into the world through Mary and that for us to always be assured of being close to Jesus, even closer than ever before, we should go through Mary.

The notion of consecrating yourself to Our Lord may seem strange to some people. Why consecration? And why consecration through Mary? What does that even mean for my life? Consecration means to set aside for a sacred purpose. Mary's life was set aside for the sole purpose of serving Our Lord. By following Her example, we, too, can completely give ourselves to Christ in a fundamental way that consecrates us to Him. We give our lives to Him in service and love. When we consecrate ourselves to Jesus, we become even more devoted to Our Lord and His Blessed Mother. It helps us grow in holiness and increases our faith, hope, and love. It is a prayerful and focused method of drawing closer to Jesus than ever before.

How does someone consecrate themselves to Our Lord through Mary? There are many ways to make a consecration to Jesus through Mary. St. Louis de Montfort, in the 18th century, introduced what is called the "True Devotion to Mary." He also wrote "Secret of the Rosary," and his studies and works on Mary have influenced many saints and popes. The de Montfort consecration includes daily readings and prayers, and it can easily found online.

In 2011, Fr. Michael Gaitley, a Marian of the Immaculate Conception (MIC) priest, published an updated consecration that includes the Marian insights of three contemporary saints. It is called, "33 Days to Morning Glory". This is a wonderful opportunity for you and your family to experience simple daily readings with a brief reflection. It is optional, but recommended, to say a daily rosary as well. Each family from our parish will receive this book in the beginning of November so we can all begin together on November 9th and end together on December 12th, which is the Feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of our Diocese. It is very manageable and such a simple way to grow closer to Our Lord and Our Lady who loves us so much.

God bless,
Fr. Don Kline, V.F.