QoA Streaming Mass

To view a collection of all recent masses, please click on the following link: Click Here

True Devotion to Mary Simply Explained

True Devotion to Mary Simply Explained

Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is an essential part of the message of Fatima.  Sr. Lucia said that the consecration according to St. Louis Marie de Montfort was precisely the offering Our Lady requested.  Of all the practices of devotion to Our Lady, this is the one that is above all others.  It is all-inclusive because it includes a total consecration to Jesus through Mary, ridding the soul of self-love, making it more responsive to God’s grace, and uniting it more easily and perfectly to God. 
 
Total Consecration is “an act of religion towards God…  By it we acknowledge God’s sovereign dominion.  It is an act of humility, for by it we acknowledge our nothingness and our helplessness.  It is an act of confiding love, for love consists in the gift of self; and to give oneself entirely and unreservedly presupposes absolute trust and living faith.”

Total Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary as described by St. Louis is based on Our Lady’s role as our Mother, Queen, and Mediatrix.  In these perilous times God has provided this spiritual secret to help souls advance in holiness and to persevere amid so many dangers and temptations.  Many will be quick to say, “Oh yes, I have heard of that, but…”  This is why it is considered a secret, because it is pursued and lived by so few. 

Our spiritual journey is much like being in an old mansion that has a series of mazes, leading to only one way out.  Pursuing each individual path, we will find that many obstacles and difficulties confront us.  Eventually, following the guidance of the Church and the graces of her sacraments, we will finally find our way out to freedom.  The way, however, will be difficult.  What so many do not realize is that there is a secret, simple, straightforward passage—a passage that they do not notice or choose to ignore.  It is the path of Mary.

At first, it may appear dark and overwhelming, but she is there to take one by the hand as her beloved child.  Soon it becomes a bright and happy path, for we are there hand in hand with our loving Heavenly Mother, fearing nothing because she is guiding us.  This path, when followed consistently and with confidence, quickly leads us to the freedom and happiness of a closer union with God in this life, and, ultimately, Heaven. 
St. Louis Marie de Montfort's book, True Devotion to Mary, explains how to make and live this consecration to Our Lady.  Since it contains some deep theology, it should be read often, slowly and prayerfully.  Other recommended books are: The Secret of Mary, Friends of the Cross, The Secret of the Rosary, God Alone, The Path of Mary, The Queen’s Way, and The Reign of Jesus through Mary.  In order to improve your devotion to Our Lady, you must frequently read and study some of this literature. 

“Anything worth having is worth working for…  To read and study True Devotion literature is necessary so that, by the grace of God, you may understand it…  You will be richly rewarded for the time and effort you put into your reading.”

This devotion consists first in a total consecration of oneself to Our Lady, as a slave of love, in order to belong completely to Christ through her.  This consecration is to be renewed from time to time.  Secondly, it consists in a habitual attitude by which we live in complete dependence on Mary after the example of Our Lord at Nazareth. 

“It is not merely another spiritual exercise to be added to those you already have.  It is, rather, a way of life that embraces all our devotions and all our prayers, all that we are and that we have past, present, and future.  It is a generous and loving way to Jesus through Mary.”

“This devotion is to be practiced in the ordinary course of life as well as in our most important actions.  Only when steadily persevered in, and not when merely tried for a few weeks, shall we be able to judge of its excellence and know its fruit.  It is necessary to remove all hindrances to this devotion, namely sin and secret affection for all that is sinful.”

St. Louis said that Total Consecration consists in giving oneself completely to Mary and through her to Jesus as her slave.  This is explained by Fr. Adolphe Tanquery: “Let no one be shocked at the word, ‘slave,’ which today seems so repugnant to us, but which has no such evil meaning as explained by... [St. Louis.]  A mere servant... receives wages [and] is free to quit his master’s service.  He gives his labor only, not his person, not his rights, nor his goods.  A slave, however, freely agrees to work without wages and, trusting to the master that gives him food and shelter, hands himself over to him forever, with all that he is and has, in order to live in entire dependence on the master in the spirit of love.”

The Catechism on True Devotion to Mary states: “Why does St. Louis de Montfort tell us to be slaves of Jesus and Mary when we should be their loving children?...  St. Louis calls his devotion the Holy Slavery of Love.  By it, we are loving children of Jesus and Mary, and more besides.  To bring out that we are children of Mary, he uses the word ‘love’ and to show that we are to exceed the duty imposed on even loving children, he uses the word ‘slave.’  It is the only term that we have to express this idea of complete surrender.” 

St. Paul found his honor in being a “slave of Jesus Christ.”  St. Paul has written, “Do you not know that your members are the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?  For you have been bought at a great price.”  (I Cor. 6: 19-20.)  Therefore, we belong to Jesus and Mary because we were purchased by Our Lord's Precious Blood.  According to The Catechism of the Council of Trent: “We... are under the obligation of devoting and consecrating ourselves forever, like faithful servants, to our Redeemer and our Lord.”
 
St. Louis has written: “There is nothing among Christians which makes us more absolutely belong to Jesus Christ and His holy Mother than the slavery of the will, according to the example of Jesus Christ Himself who took on Himself the form of a slave of love for us. (Phil. 2:7); and also according to the example of the holy Virgin, who called herself the servant and slave of the Lord.” (Luke 1: 38)

According to Fr. John Cantwell: “When we consecrate ourselves to Our Lady, according to St. Louis, we set ourselves aside for Mary to use as she wills, how and in the manner she wills.”  The de Montfort consecration is not for everyone.  Concerning Total Consecration, St. Louis has written, “Beware, then of remaining inactive while possessing my secret; it would turn into a poison and be your condemnation.”  However, if you live your consecration, you will derive immense spiritual blessings.

Devotion to Mary is necessary because she is the Mediatrix of all graces.  Through His sufferings and death, Our Lord merited the graces needed for salvation.  One might say that Christ put these graces in a vault.  Jesus Christ gave the keys to His beloved Mother to distribute to souls.

Someone may say to himself, “God loves me and He wants me to love Him too and become a saint.  Since I cannot be successful without Him, He is ready to give me all the graces I need.  You make a rule to live by.  You try to find out what your faults are and you begin to fight against them.  You go along a little way and then you are driven backwards because the road is hard and sometimes you get all mixed up.  You start out again, but if you are not very brave, you are going to be tempted to stop altogether and sit down by the roadside.

“It is something like the story of the travelers who set out on a mountain trip to reach the beautiful high peak.  The travelers have read books which tell them how to get there.  They take with them maps on which all the roads are marked and long poles to help them walk better and plenty of food [and water] to keep them strong.  They have everything with them when they start out, but they do not take a guide—someone who lives in that section—who knows all the roads and [can] show them the way without any trouble.”

“At the beginning of the trip everything is fine because the road is easy.  The travelers are happy and they sing as they climb.  After a little while, they get mixed up.  They come across many paths and they are not sure which one to take.  Then a fog comes which covers the mountain and hides all the roads.” 

“What are they going to do?  Should they stop, or keep walking, not sure which way they are going?  They have stopped singing now.  They are sorry they did not take a guide along.  If a guide had been with them, they would be at the top of the mountain now, looking over the beautiful country…  It is the same with those who wish to arrive at holiness.  Very soon they find out that the road is long… hard and [fearful so] they look for a guide.”

God has given us a special “guide on this road to holiness.  There is someone who knows this road very well; one who has gone every inch of the way and has also led many other souls to holiness…  [This guide is His very own Mother.]   She is the most perfect, the most loving, the sweetest Mother that ever lived.  She is the Mother that God made especially for Himself [and for us.]”

She knows the road to holiness so well because she is more holy than all the saints and angels put together.  How wonderful it is to be carried in her arms or to hold her hand and walk with her as we look into her beautiful face.  She will protect, guide, and help us if we trust and frequently turn to her.  To put it more directly, we give Our Lady our body and material things, all that belongs to us, both interior and exterior and the value of all our good actions, past, present, and future.  Most importantly we give her our soul that is the principle in us by which we live, move and exist.

Jesus Christ is the final purpose or end of all devotions.  Our Lady loves God more ardently and glorifies Him more perfectly than all the blessed put together.  God lives and reigns in her more perfectly than in all the angels and saints.  Therefore, true devotion to Mary is an easy means to unite us more quickly and securely to Christ.

When we make the Total Consecration described by St. Louis, we renew our baptismal vows and give ourselves completely to Jesus through Mary as slaves of love.  By our free-will we voluntarily choose to serve God like the saints in Heaven and the just on earth.  Knowing how much God loves us, we offer ourselves completely and entirely into God’s hands to do with us whatever He wishes.

Sr. Mary Amatora, explains this Total Consecration: “A person is not obliged to this complete surrender of himself and all that belongs to him, yet He offers it to God.  His will makes choice of God and His service above all things.  This slavery of the will is the most perfect and the most glorious to God.  He looks with intense love upon that soul, sees the heart which is working for Him and loving Him…  There is nothing which makes the soul belong more absolutely to Jesus Christ and His Holy Mother than this slavery of the will, which is truly and purely a slavery of love.”

 “Whoever is united to Mary, is at the same time united to Jesus.  Whoever is a slave of love to Mary is likewise a slave of love to Jesus…  By this devotion one becomes a slave of love of Jesus through Mary.  That is why it is a perfect way of going to God.”

A mediator is one who goes between.  Even though God loves us, He knows that we are wretched sinners.  Therefore, it is more humble to approach God through the intercession of Our Lady.  St. Louis has written: “If we fear to go directly to Jesus Christ, our God, whether because of His infinite greatness, or because of our lowness, or because of our sins, let us boldly implore the aid and intercession of Mary, our Mother”.

Many people keep some of their valuable items and important documents in a safety deposit box to protect them from fire and theft.  God has given us the Blessed Virgin Mary to be our spiritual safety deposit box.  The safest place to store our graces and virtues is in the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  She will guard our valuables and spiritual treasures and keep them safe for us.

St. Louis has written that there are five characteristics of true devotion to Mary: It is interior, tender, holy, constant, and disinterested.  “True devotion to Our Lady is interior; that is, it comes from the mind and the heart.  It flows from the esteem we have for her, the high idea we have formed of her greatness, and the love that we have for her.”

“It is tender; that is, full of confidence in her, like a child’s confidence in his loving mother.  This confidence makes the soul have recourse to her in all its bodily and mental necessities, with much simplicity, trust, and tenderness.  It implores the aid of its good Mother at all times, in all places and about all things: in its doubts, that it may be enlightened; in its wanderings, that it may be brought into the right path; in its temptations, that it may be supported; in its weaknesses, that it may be strengthened; in its falls, that it may be lifted up; in its discouragements, that it may be cheered; in its scruples, that they may be taken away; in the crosses, toils, and disappointments of life, that it may be consoled under them.  In a word, in all the evils of body and mind, the soul ordinarily has recourse to Mary, without fear of annoying her or displeasing Jesus.”

“True devotion to Our Lady is holy; that is to say, it leads the soul to avoid sin, and to imitate the virtues of the Blessed Virgin, particularly her profound humility, her lively faith, her blind obedience, her continual prayer, her universal mortification, her divine purity, her ardent charity, her heroic patience, her angelical meekness, and her divine wisdom...”
 
“True Devotion to Our Lady is constant.  It confirms the soul in good, and does not let it easily abandon its spiritual exercises.  It makes it courageous in opposing the world in its fashions and maxims, the flesh in its wearinesses and passions, and the devil in his temptations; so that a person truly devout to our Blessed Lady is neither changeable, irritable, scrupulous nor timid.  It is not that such a person does not fall, or change sometimes in the sensible feeling of devotion.  But when he falls, he rises again by stretching out his hand to his good Mother.  When he loses the taste and relish of devotion, he does not become disturbed because of that; for the just and faithful client of Mary lives on the faith of Jesus and Mary, and not on sentiments and sensibilities.”

“Lastly, true devotion to Our Lady is disinterested; that is to say, it inspires the soul not to seek itself, but God alone in His holy Mother.  A true client of Mary does not serve that august Queen from a spirit of lucre and interest, nor for his own good, whether temporal or eternal, corporal or spiritual; but exclusively because she deserves to be served and God alone in her.  He does not love Mary just because she obtains favors for him, or because he hopes she will, but solely because she is so worthy of love.  It is on this account that he loves and serves her as faithfully in his disgusts and drynesses as in his sweetnesses and sensible fervors.”

“True Devotion to Mary is not another pious exercise to be added to those you already have, nor is it another form of prayer to be added to those you already say.  It is, rather, a way of life that embraces all our devotions and all our prayers, all that we are and all that we have, past, present, and future.”

Giving ourselves totally to Jesus through Mary “may be reduced to four particular items:  All our good works have a two-fold value.  They help to satisfy for sin and they have a merit for Heaven.  These two things follow upon every action and good work that we perform.  Now a person who has made this consecration no longer has the right to dispose of any of these himself.  He has given them all to Mary.  The part of our good works that goes to satisfy for sin, she may give to whom she wishes.  She, knowing God’s will most perfectly, uses it wherever it will give the greatest glory to God [e.g., for a deathbed conversion, the relief of the Poor Souls in Purgatory, etc.]  This does not mean that you cannot satisfy for your sins, but you leave it to Mary to apply as she knows best.”

“All our graces, merits and virtues are likewise given to Mary.  Strictly speaking the merits of one person cannot be given to another.  Only the merits of Jesus Christ Himself are given directly to souls.  When we give our merits to Mary, they are simply placed in her keeping.  She will keep them safe, enrich and enlarge them and save them for us in eternity.”

 “A person who has made this consecration can no longer dispose of the value of any of his good actions.  All his prayers, all his sufferings, all his penances, all he does and all he says belongs to Mary.  She alone has the right to dispose of them according to the will of her Divine Son for His greatest glory [and the salvation of their soul.]”

Our Total Consecration does not interfere with the duties and obligations of one’s state in life.  For those in the clerical or religious state, holy slavery will make them a better priest or religious.  If you have a marriage vocation, your consecration will obtain many graces for you to make you a better husband or wife, father or mother.  If you have a vocation to the single state, it will help you to live a virtuous life and resist temptation.

    “Jesus is our Redeemer, our Lord and our God, to whom we owe all we are and have.  We give it all back to Him again by the hands of His holy Mother, whom He loves above all creatures in Heaven and on earth... no one need be fearful of making the Total Consecration.  Mary is never outdone in love.”

Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary as described by St. Louis is a perfect renewal of our baptismal vows.  Before Baptism we are slaves of the devil because of original sin.  When we are baptized, we solemnly and publicly renounce Satan, his pomps and his works, either by our sponsor or our own mouth.  We choose Christ as our Sovereign Lord and become loving slaves of Our Lord, for we belong to Him.  By our act of Total Consecration, we also renounce the devil, the world, sin and self.  We give ourselves entirely to Jesus through Mary and we make this consecration knowingly and voluntarily.

The Councils, the Fathers of the Church, and the saints tell us that if we often renew our Baptismal vows and live them, we will avoid offending God by sin and grow in virtue.  The Catechism of the Council of Trent states: “The parish priest shall exhort the faithful people so that they may know that it is most just… that we should devote and consecrate ourselves forever to our Redeemer and Lord as His very slaves.”  We accomplish this in the most perfect way through Mary, the way Our Lord Himself has chosen.

Sr. Mary Amatora, answers some objections to this consecration: “Some object to the total giving of everything to Mary, fearing that they can no longer pray for the souls of their parents, relatives, friends or benefactors.  No person needs to fear that his loved ones will suffer because he has consecrated himself to Jesus through Mary.  The greater love a person has for Jesus and Mary, the more will Jesus and Mary be inclined to help his dear ones.  Jesus and Mary know well how to help and to assist our parents, friends and benefactors and they can do it out of the little store of our prayers or by other and better ways known to them.”

“This practice does not hinder us from praying for anyone, living or dead, although the application of our prayers will depend upon our Blessed Mother.  In fact, this devotion will cause us to pray with more confidence, humility, and devotion and thus render our prayers more likely to be heard.  Having stripped ourselves of everything, we leave all to Jesus and Mary.  They never can and never will be outdone in generosity.  Loved ones will benefit more since Jesus and Mary will be caring for them, not just ourselves alone.”

“Some object to Total Consecration fearing lest having given all their satisfactions to Mary, they themselves will have to stay… a long time in Purgatory.  This fear arises only from self-love and ignorance of the generosity of God.  A fervent and generous soul who has given everything to God can give nothing more.  He lives only for the honor and glory of Jesus through His holy Mother—he makes a complete sacrifice of himself to bring about this offering.  It is unthinkable that such a person would have to suffer and be punished more in the next world.  That is far from the truth!  Rather is it toward such a soul that Our Lord and His holy Mother are the most generous and liberal both in this world and in the next.”

The only purpose of true devotion to Mary is to unite the soul more closely to God.  According to St. Louis, it is an easy way because of the special graces of the Holy Ghost. When we encounter difficulties, Our Lady is there to help us.  Her faithful slaves, being her favorites, “receive from her the greatest graces and favors of Heaven, which are crosses.  But… it is also the servants of Mary who carry these crosses with more ease, with more merit and more glory” than others.

Total Consecration is a short road because it leads us directly to God in little time; we don’t take any detours.  St. Louis has written, “We make more progress in a brief period of submission to and dependence on Mary than in whole years of following our own will and of relying upon ourselves.  By living our Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary we will give more glory to God in a month than by other spiritual practices in many years.  This is true because we are performing everything in union with Mary and uniting ourselves to her intentions. 
 
It is the perfect road chosen by Christ to come to us.  The Son of God did not lose anything of His divinity and sanctity when He came down from Heaven to earth in the most perfect manner through the humble Virgin Mary.  “God always does things in a most perfect manner.  Had there been any better or more perfect way for Him to come to earth to redeem mankind, He would have done so.  Yet, among all possible ways from which He could have chosen, He came through Mary.  If that was the most perfect way for God to come to man, then it is likewise the most perfect way for man to go to God.  It is His own method.”

It is a secure road that conducts us safely to eternal life.  In his book, True Devotion to Mary, St. Louis said that this practice “is so ancient that we cannot fix precisely the date of its beginning.”  However, he gives examples of those who practiced it from the seventh century and afterwards.  Many popes approved this devotion. 

Sr. Mary Amatora stated: “It is as old as the Church.  In the very beginning of the Church it was Mary who guided the Apostles and disciples.  It was to her they ran when they wanted counsel or advice, whenever any difficulty arose.  She helped them in everything, either personally or through the angels of her guard.” 

Since our prayers and the satisfactory value of our good works have been given to Our Lady, she distributes them to all those who need help.  Their value is magnified a thousand-fold by her merits, making them much more efficacious.  St. Louis Marie de Montfort said: “It may be little that we give to Our Lady; but… if it is given without self-love and a disinterested charity, that little becomes very mighty to turn away the wrath of God and to draw down His mercy.  It would be no wonder if, at the hour of death, it should be found that a person faithful to this practice should by means of it have delivered many souls from Purgatory, and converted many sinners; though he should have done nothing more than the ordinary actions of his state in life.  What joy at his judgment!  What glory in his eternity!”

“The grace of final perseverance is the grace of a good death.  This is the greatest [and most necessary] of all graces.”  St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori stated, “A devout servant of Mary will never perish.”  The Blessed Virgin Mary will keep on the road of virtue those who remain humble, prayerful, and docile to her maternal guidance.  With her intercession and assistance, we will not fall into sin so readily nor as often.  The Church applies to Our Lady these words of Scripture: “Whoever finds me shall find life and shall obtain salvation from the Lord.” (Proverbs 8: 35.)  “They that work by me shall not sin.”  (Ecclus. 24: 30.)

Our Heavenly Mother’s love for each individual soul is greater than we can imagine.  “Now, suppose that we can unite in the heart of one mother, all the love that all mothers, from the beginning of the world have had for their children—that makes billions and billions of mothers!...  What a big heart that would have!  It would be a burning furnace of love…  That is true, but if you put that heart besides that of the Blessed Virgin, it will appear to you as a little candle beside the sun, so great is the love of the Blessed Virgin.”

As a loving mother, Our Lady also helps us to overcome the obstacles to union with God, especially our self-love, our self-will, and attachment to material things.  She lovingly strips us of our faults and replaces them with virtues.  When we are truly sorry for our sins, our Heavenly Mother asks our pardon from God.  The Blessed Virgin Mary cares for and provides for the welfare of our soul and body.  As the best of all mothers, she gives us everything we need.  Since Our Lady is the Mediatrix of all graces, she gives many special graces to her children and slaves.  She teaches them how to receive the blessings of God and avoid the snares of the devil.  St. Bernard has written, “If you follow her, you cannot wander from the road.”

In her book, The Queen’s Way, Sr. Mary Amatora, has written: “A true child of Mary will never fall into any formal heresy.  Those who listen to the guidance of Mary will never be misled by the illusions of the evil spirit, nor by the cunning and subtleties of the heretics.  The holy guidance of her who is called the Seat of Wisdom can lead in only one direction, namely, to complete union with Jesus and everlasting happiness in Heaven.”

Our Lady’s continuous intercession with God for us is her greatest act of goodness and love on our behalf.  Her intercession in behalf of her devout slaves is three-fold: 1) Mary intercedes for them with her Divine Son, appeasing Him by her prayers. 2) Our Lady unites their souls closely to God. 3) The Blessed Virgin keeps them in the state of grace, obtains for them the grace of final perseverance, and keeps their union with God unshaken.

The practice of true devotion to Mary helps us to attain a true knowledge of self and to empty ourselves of everything that is bad within us.  The spiritual life is founded on humility and the love of God.  Through the light given by the Holy Ghost, souls clearly see their sins, faults, and weaknesses.  Christ said that without the grace of God, people are incapable of doing anything good.  Since “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (I Peter 5: 5.), we learn to despise and mistrust ourselves.  As a result, we advance in humility, a virtue so difficult to practice, yet so necessary to salvation.  Mary imparts to us a share in her profound humility.

During her life on earth, Our Lady’s faith was greater than the faith of all the saints combined.  Since the Blessed Virgin Mary no longer needs to exercise faith because she sees everything clearly in the light of God’s glory, she gives her children a sharing in her great faith.  The more the soul lives in union with Mary, the more it shares in her lively faith.

With Mary’s assistance, we will be able to fulfill the will of God in our lives despite difficulties, failure, or opposition.  Living by faith, we will perform our actions with a pure intention of the love of God and persevere in prayer, despite spiritual dryness and desolation.  Complete faith in God will enable us to remain firm in the midst of storms and temptations.  It will give us the courage to undertake all things for God and the salvation of souls.  As a result, we will be able to tactfully admonish the sinner, inflame the lukewarm, guide those who have gone astray, and convert poor sinners.

As children of the wisest and most loving of all mothers, we will experience great freedom in our interior life.  True devotion to Our Lady will cause us to have total trust in God, helping us to avoid panic and extreme thoughts.  When we faithfully practice our Total Consecration, our relationship with God will be primarily motivated by love rather than fear.  When we fall into sin, we will ask God’s pardon, humble ourselves, and go on our way to Him without discouragement.
St. Augustine called Our Lady “the mold of God.”  St. Louis said: “The saints are molded in Mary.  There is a great difference between making a figure in relief by blows of hammer and chisel and making a figure by throwing it into a mold.  Statuaries and sculptors labor much to make figures in the first manner; but to make them in the second manner, they work little, and do their work quickly.”

Those who use other practices to form Christ in themselves may be compared to sculptors who are trying to make an image of Our Lord.  Sometimes they make a very poor representation because they are relying so much upon their own efforts, limited knowledge, or lack of skill.  By the practice of Total Consecration, we do not trust in our own skill, but cast ourselves and abandon ourselves to the mold of Mary in order to be transformed into a likeness of Christ.  Objects made and cast into a mold must be liquid and pliable.  Therefore, it is necessary for the soul to melt down its own selfishness and conform itself to God’s will in order to be made into the image of Jesus.

By this devotion we act by, with, in, and for Mary, especially in our prayers and good works.  As a result, we practice great humility in our relationship with God, Who is highly glorified thereby.  Since we offer everything to God through Mary, she gives our good works an admirable splendor and beauty.  In addition, she offers them herself to her Divine Son, whereby God is more glorified than if we offered them to Christ ourselves.  Finally, “when we praise her, love her, honor her or give anything to her, it is God Who is loved, God Who is glorified, and it is to God that we give, through Mary and in Mary.”

In his book, True Devotion to Mary, St. Louis describes a thirty-three day program of spiritual practices, prayers, and readings to prepare the soul for its Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary.  The first twelve days are spent in renouncing the spirit of the world, which is contrary to the spirit of Christ.  This is followed by three, seven-day periods spent in acquiring knowledge of self, knowledge of the Blessed Virgin, and knowledge of Jesus Christ. 

Afterwards, those who are making their Total Consecration “should go to confession and [Holy] Communion with the intention of giving themselves to Jesus Christ in the quality of slaves of love, by the hands of Mary.  After Communion, which they should try to make… [in union with Mary,] they should recite the formula of their consecration.”

On that day, a person should offer something as an act of tribute and love.  For example, a person could light a vigil candle, fast, perform an act of mortification or give alms, according to one’s ability.  This offering is a sign of servitude and dependence upon our Blessed Mother.  If offered with humble love, Jesus and Mary will be pleased with the token or sign of our holy slavery.

St. Louis has written: “Once a year at least, they should renew the same consecration…  They [should]... also... once a day, renew all they have done by these few words: ‘I am all Thine and all that I have is Thine, O most loving Jesus, though Mary, Thy most holy Mother.’” This prayer should be recited daily after the Morning Offering.

Although the exterior practices of genuine devotion to Mary are beneficial to the soul, they must be accompanied by the proper interior spirit.  The interior practices, if faithfully observed with sincere effort and perseverance, will lead to great holiness.  St. Louis described the essence of this interior devotion to Our Lady in this way: “to do all actions by Mary, with Mary, in Mary, and for Mary; so that we may do them all the more perfectly by Jesus, with Jesus, in Jesus, and for Jesus.”

Union with Mary as described by St. Louis requires first, the removal of obstacles to grace: sin and its occasions.  Before we perform our actions, we should renounce ourselves and unite ourselves to our Heavenly Mother and her intentions.  As a result, we will be doing things in accord with the will of the Blessed Virgin Mary instead of doing them according to our own ideas.  It is sufficient that we think of this in a general way and with a simple glance of our soul to Our Lady as children naturally, from time to time, cast a quick look in the direction of their mother.

When we act by Mary, our spiritual life is completely dependent upon her.  As slaves of love, we continually ask for her guidance and assistance.  For example, before we begin our prayers, we first renounce ourselves and the distractions of the world.  Then, we offer our prayers in union with Our Lady.  As we perform the duties in our state in life, we strive to do them in the same spirit that Mary completed her daily tasks.  “We must place ourselves as instruments in the hands of Mary that she may act in us and for us however she pleases, for the greater glory of her Son.”

St. Louis says that we can do this verbally or even mentally by saying, “I renounce myself, I give myself to thee, my dear Mother.”  In this way we renounce our will, follow hers, and put ourselves completely in her hands, even though we may not feel this union with Our Lady.  Since we are striving to habitually live by Mary, we must often renew our act of offering and union with her, both during and after our actions.  “The more often we do so, the sooner shall we be sanctified and attain to union with Jesus, to which Mary leads us.”

We must perform our actions with Mary as a perfect model for imitation.  This means that we should perform our daily duties as Our Lady has done them or would have done them, had she been in our place.  In this way, we imitate the virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary in our daily lives.  Since it is very easy for us to know how Our Lady would not have acted, we will always strive to act as she would.

As we renounce ourselves in all things, our goal is to do everything in Mary.  In order to thoroughly understand this practice, we must increase our knowledge of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her prerogatives.  If we are very pure, practice this devotion faithfully, and implore the grace of the Holy Ghost, we will be able to enter into Mary’s interior and adopt her feelings and views.  As a result, her influence will penetrate us and she will become to us, as it where, the atmosphere and place in which we live.  “She watches over us so carefully that no one can ever say that a faithful slave of Mary has been conquered by his enemies.”

Living by, with, in, and for Mary is a way of life, but it is a gradual process.  Our progress is not dependent upon feelings or spiritual consolation.  We must try our best and leave the rest to our Heavenly Mother.  As we faithfully strive to live our total consecration, we will be given special graces and insights so that, as a result, living by, with, in, and for Mary will become our habitual state.  If we humbly submit ourselves to our Heavenly Mother, she will show us what she wants us to do.  The more closely we are united to Our Lady, the closer will be our union with Our Lord.

In closing, you should not let the devil make you think that true devotion to our Blessed Mother is difficult or involved.  Its simplicity is summed up by the following story.

“One day shortly after a priest began teaching True Devotion in his parish, a little Irish lady came to him and said, ‘I’m not much on reading all those books, but I listen[ed] to your talk and I don’t find anything to be concerned about at all.  Then I hear some people fussing away about not being sure, and waiting, and wondering.  Now, Father, I’d just like to make the Act of Consecration.  Father asked her what she knew about the act, and she replied, ‘Father, I give Our Lady everything I have, my body, my soul, all my exterior goods (Father, she ain’t getting much), my interior goods, that is my prayers, my good works, and so forth.”

“Then I do my best to do everything the way Our Blessed Lady would if she were in my shoes.  Do you think I could make the Act of Consecration, Father?’  Of course, the priest told her to go ahead.  Our Lady must have been well pleased with her faith, desire, and determination.  The little Irish lady had summed up True Devotion beautifully.”

Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Santa Clarita, California, is much like any Catholic church you might have attended before the Second Vatican Council occurred in the 1960's. This Council, supposedly intended to bring about a genuine spiritual renewal in the living of our Faith, inaugurated liturgical changes that broke drastically from the Church's sacred liturgy and traditions of nearly 2,000 years. It is because of these changes and the resultant universal loss of faith among so many bishops, priests, nuns and laity, that Queen of Angels and chapels like this one are drawing more and more interest from concerned Catholics all over the world. The pastor of Queen of Angels is Father Dominic Radecki, CMRI, a priest belonging to the religious Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen . The bishop and priests of the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen (CMRI) offer only the Tridentine Latin Mass in all the churches and chapels they serve. Remaining faithful to all of the Church's venerable teachings and traditions, Queen of Angels Church reflects the stability and endurance of truths and doctrines that will never change with the times. The faithful receive Holy Communion on their tongues as they kneel at the communion rail in humble adoration of the Real Presence of God. Ladies wear head coverings and modest clothing out of respect. The reverent silence in the House of God indicates a living faith in Christ Who dwells in the tabernacle. We have a full schedule of activities at our church. The Sacraments are administered exactly the way they were before Vatican II: Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, the Holy Eucharist, Matrimony and Extreme Unction. Parish organizations who attend Queen of Angels, ranging from basic catechism instruction for the youth and converts to the Faith, to our Confraternity of Christian Mothers. For those who wish to lead a more dedicated spiritual life, we have the Confraternity of Mary Immaculate Queen. We invite you to check out all of our parish activities on this website. We at Queen of Angels welcome visitors to our parish at anytime of the year, but especially at Christmas and Easter. Although the number of parishioners has outgrown our small church, newcomers are always welcome. Each of our parishioners adds something unique to the family atmosphere we think is very special here at our church. Come and see it for yourself! If you have not been to a Latin Mass in many years, if you have never been to one at all, you will be pleasantly surprised at what you find at Queen of Angels. You will feel as if you have come home, as indeed you have. Queen of Angels Catholic Church Prayer to the August Queen of Heaven August Queen of Heaven, Sovereign Mistress of the Angels, who didst receive from the beginning the mission and the power to crush the serpent's head, we beseech thee to send thy holy angels, that under thy command and by thy power they may pursue the evil spirits, encounter them on every side, resist their bold attacks, and drive them hence into the abyss of woe. Most holy Mother, send thy angels to defend us and to drive the cruel enemy from us. All ye holy Angels and Archangels, keep and defend us. Amen O good and tender Mother Thou shalt ever be our love and our hope. Holy Angels and Archangels, keep and defend us. Amen Novena of Confidence to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (for family relations that have fallen away) O Lord Jesus Christ, to Thy Most Sacred Heart I confide this intention (silently mention here the names you are praying for). Only look upon me, then do what Thy Heart inspires. Let Thy Sacred Heart decide. I count on it. I trust in it. I throw myself on its mercy, Lord Jesus! Thou wilt not fail me. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in Thee. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I believe in Thy love for me. Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy Kingdom come! O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I have asked Thee for many favors, but I earnestly implore this one. Take it, place it in Thy open, broken Heart, and when the Eternal Father looks upon it, covered with Thy Precious Blood, He will not refuse it.s It will no longer be my prayer but Thine, O Sacred Heart of Jesus. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in Thee. Let me never be confounded. Amen.	The following true story explains this well. The university professor challenged his students with this question.  “Did God create everything that exists?”  A student bravely replied, “Yes, he did!”  “God created everything?” the professor asked.  “Yes,” the student replied.  The professor answered, “If God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.”  The student became quiet before such an answer.  The professor was quite pleased with himself and boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.  At that point, another student raised his hand and said, “Can I ask you a question professor?”  “Of course,” replied the professor.  The student stood up and asked, “Professor does cold exist?”  “What kind of question is this?  Of course it exists.  Have you never been cold?” The students snickered at the young man’s question.  The young man replied, “In fact sir, cold does not exist.  According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat.  Absolute zero (-460 degrees F) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature.  Cold does not exist.  We have created this word to describe “the absence of heat.”  The student continued.  “Professor, does darkness exist?”  The professor responded, “Of course it does.”  The student replied, “Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either.  Darkness is in reality the absence of light.  You cannot measure darkness.  A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it.  How can you know how dark a certain space is?  You measure the amount of light present.  Isn’t this correct?  Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present.” Finally the young man asked the professor.  “Sir, does evil exist?”  Now uncertain, the professor responded, “Of course!  We see it every day.  It is in the daily example of man’s inhumanity to man.  It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world.  These manifestations are nothing else but evil.”  To this, the student replied, “Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist in itself.  Evil is simply the absence of God.  It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God.  God did not create evil.  Evil is not like faith, or love that exist just as does light and heat.  Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God’s love present in his heart.  It’s like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.”  The professor sat down. The young man’s name – Albert Einstein. May Crowning Queen of Angels Easter Queen of Angels Altar Queen of Angels May Procession May Crowning Prayer The time may be delayed, the manner may be unexpected, but the answer is sure to come. Not a tear of sacred sorrow, not a breath of holy desire poured out to God will ever be lost, but in God's own time and way will be wafted back again in clouds of mercy and fall in showers of blessings on you and on those for whom you pray.	Weekly Sermons Latest Sermon: click_here List of Previous Sermons: click_here General Information Baptisms: One parent and the sponsors must be practicing Catholics who attend only the Traditional Latin Mass. Call the pastor to make arrangements. Confessions: Sundays - one hour before Mass. Weekdays - 10 minutes before Mass. 1st Friday and 1st Saturday - during the Rosary. Communion for the Sick: Inform Father if you are unable to attend Mass and wish to receive Holy Communion and/or Extreme Unction. Marriages For registered members of Queen of Angels parish only. Please contact the rectory at least six months prior to the wedding date for marriage instructions. Mass Intentions: If you would like to have Holy Mass offered for your intention, please use the envelopes provided in the back of the church. The customary offering is $25.00. Mass requests are honored in the order in which they are received. If you wish a Mass offered on a particular day, it must be submitted at least a month in advance. Mass requests for special days will be honored when possible. First Holy Communion Classes: Classes are held every Sunday at 9:30 AM. Confirmation Classes: For the children: on the first and third Sunday of the month at 9:30 AM. For the adults: on the second and fourth Sunday of the month at 9:30 AM. Prayers For Rain O God, in Whom we live, move and have our being, grant us seasonable rain, so that our temporal needs being sufficiently supplied, we may seek with greater confidence after things eternal. Be appeased, we beseech Thee, O Lord, by the gifts which we offer, and garnt us in season the blessing of sufficient rain. Grant us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, beneficial rain and deign to pour out showers from Heaven upon the parched face of the earth. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost. God, world without end. Amen

Summer Camp

Queen of Angels Catholic Church is located in Santa Clarita, California and draws parishioners to the Traditional Latin Mass (Tridentine Mass) from all over Southern CA and the Greater Los Angeles areas.