Catholic Fire

Today is the feast of St. Louis de Montfort, a French priest and confessor. He was a renowned preacher and missionary, who founded the Missionaries of the Company of Mary (for priests and brothers) and the Daughters of Wisdom. Louis de Montfort is one of the most prominent promoters of Marian devotion. Totus tuus ("I am all yours.") was Louis's personal motto; Karol Wojtyla (Pope St. John Paul II) chose it as his episcopal motto. Born to a poor family in 1673 in the Breton village of Montfort, as an adult, Louis identified himself by the place of his baptism instead of his family name, Grignion. After being educated by the Jesuits and the Sulpicians, he was ordained as a diocesan priest in 1700. He preached parish missions throughout western France, walking from city to city. His years of ministering to the poor prompted him to travel and live very simply, sometimes getting him into trouble with church authorities. In his preaching, which attracted thousands of

Several years ago, a reader asked me:  "What is consecration? Why would someone want to consecrate themselves to Mary?" How do I go about doing it?" Since this is the time of year that I try to renew my Consecration to Jesus through Mary, I think this is a good time to discuss Marian consecration. Consecrate comes from the Latin word consecrare: "to dedicate, to set aside for a holy purpose." Consecration to Jesus through Mary is a formal and total act of self-surrender and self-giving which doesn't stop at Mary, but which is actually directed toward Christ. Consecration to Mary is consecration to the "perfect means" which Jesus chose to unite Himself with us and vice versa. Consecration to Mary heightens the depth and truth of our commitment to Christ. Love for Mary always leads us to a greater love for Jesus, as she points the way to His heart. When we consecrate ourselves to Jesus through Mary we promise to become dependent on Mary in