Theologian
Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, a professor at the
Angelicum, analyzed various forms and stages of
Marian devotions. He designated personal consecration to Mary as the highest level among these devotions. In his theological analysis, Marian devotions are categorized into stages, from beginner to advanced, as follows: :* Occasional prayer, e.g. praying the
Hail Mary from time to time. :* Regular and daily devotion, e.g. the devout recitation of the
Rosary on a daily basis. :* A formal act of consecration to Mary, and living in habitual dependence on her, as a means of uniting with Christ. The theology of personal consecration to Mary was further explained by Pope
John Paul II in
Redemptoris Mater where, building on , he stated that the word "home" refers to the spiritual and inner life of believers, and "to take Mary into one's home" signifies a filial entrustment to her as mother in every aspect of life. John Paul II suggested the
Apostle John as an example of how every Christian should respond to the gift of the spiritual motherhood of Mary.
Louis de Montfort's Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary The practice of consecration to Jesus through Mary was further promoted in the 18th century following the rediscovery of the writings of the 17th century priest Louis de Montfort. The heart of Montfort's classic work
True Devotion to Mary is a formal act of consecration to Mary, so through her, one can be consecrated to Christ. For Montfort, consecration begins a gradual process of sanctification in which a person's focus turns away from self-love and towards God through Mary. In Montfort's view different individuals reach different levels along this scale, depending on their efforts and purity of intentions. Montfort's classification of the multiple levels of spiritual progress is similar to the "spiritual dwelling places" described by
Teresa of Avila in the
Interior Castle. Yet Montfort's view differs from Teresa's contemporary,
John of the Cross in that Montfort sees the Marian path to Jesus as far more positive, encouraging and smooth than the path followed by John in the poem
Dark Night of the Soul. Montfort's concept of consecration was influenced by
Henri Boudon's book (Only God, the Holy Slavery of the admirable Mother of God). By reading Boudon, Montfort concluded that
any consecration is ultimately made to "God Alone", for only God merits the loving servitude of man. Later, "God Alone" became the motto of Montfort. Montfort's approach followed Boudon very closely, but differed on one element: while Boudon's consecration was founded on the Queenship of Mary, Montfort approach was based on the divine maternity. Pope
John Paul II stated that as a young seminarian he had read and reread Montfort many times and "understood that I could not exclude the Lord's Mother from my life without neglecting the will of God-Trinity".
The Immaculate Heart of Mary Francis de Sales began to write on the "perfections of the Heart of Mary" as the model of love for God in the early parts of the 17th century and his work influenced
Jean Eudes, who then developed the joint devotion to the
Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Two factors that helped the rapid progress of the devotion were the introduction of the
Miraculous Medal by
Catherine Labouré in 1830 and the establishment at
Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, Paris of the
Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners. In 1838 Father Desgenettes, the pastor of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, organized the Association in honor of the Holy and Immaculate Heart of Mary, which Pope
Gregory XVI made a confraternity the same year. In July, 1855, the
Congregation of Rites approved the Office and Mass for the Immaculate Heart. Another driving force for devotions and consecrations to the Immaculate Heart of Mary appeared in the 1917 messages of
Our Lady of Fátima. The three children who reported the messages of
Marian apparitions at Fátima referred to the Immaculate Heart. The third apparition reported at Fátima on 13 July 1917, specifically encouraged devotions and consecrations for the triumph of the Immaculate Heart. Although the reports of the Fátima apparitions were initially met with skepticism, they grew in popularity and were approved by the
Holy See in 1930. On 13 May 1967, the 50th anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima, Pope
Paul VI visited
Fatima, Portugal, and issued the Apostolic Exhortation
Signum Magnum ("a great sign") in which he asked "all sons of the Church to renew their consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary". In 1986, when addressing the participants in the 1986 International Theological Symposium on the Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Pope John Paul II stated: "Our act of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary refers ultimately to the Heart of her Son, for as the Mother of Christ she is wholly united to his redemptive mission. As at the marriage feast of Cana, when she said 'Do whatever he tells you', Mary directs all things to her Son, who answers our prayers and forgives our sins."
The Immaculata In 1854
Pope Pius IX defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the apostolic constitution
Ineffabilis Deus. This greatly helped the spread of devotions and consecrations to the Immaculata. In the early part of the 20th century,
Maximilian Kolbe began his efforts to promote consecration to the Immaculata, partly relying on the 1858 messages of
Our Lady of Lourdes. He argued that since Mary is Immaculate, by her very nature she is the perfect instrument of the Holy Spirit in the mediation of all graces, given that "every grace is a gift of the Father through his Son by the Holy Spirit". Kolbe founded the monastery of
Niepokalanów ("City of the Immaculate Mother of God") and published
Militia Immaculatae in multiple languages, which eventually reached a circulation of 750,000 copies a month, until it was stopped when Kolbe was sent to the
Auschwitz concentration camp. Kolbe's efforts in promoting consecration to the Immaculata made him known as the "Apostle of Consecration to Mary". ==Societal consecration==