Basilica of Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort in France www.basiliquemontfort.com
“St. Louis Mary de Montfort’s present influence on the Christian world, primarily because of his doctrine on total consecration to Our Lady, can only be termed immeasurable.” [1]
Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, is still known today as the great promoter of living a life of consecration to Jesus through Mary.
He taught that very simply, by consecrating or surrendering ourselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we are telling God that we want to do everything in our lives “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.”[2]
In the early eighteenth century, Saint Louis de Montfort wrote a book to teach others about his simple secret to holiness entitled, True Devotion to Mary. For hundreds of years, the simplicity of this teaching has proven to be within reach for everyone, whatever their state of life.
Saint Louis de Montfort wrote, “All our perfection consists in being conformed, united and consecrated to Jesus Christ; and therefore the most perfect of all devotions is, without any doubt, that which the most perfectly conforms, unites and consecrates us to Jesus Christ. Now, Mary being the most conformed of all creatures to Jesus Christ, it follows that, of all devotions, that which most consecrates and conforms the soul to Our Lord is devotion to His holy Mother, and that the more a soul is consecrated to Mary, the more it is consecrated to Jesus.
“Hence it comes to pass that the most perfect consecration to Jesus Christ is nothing else but a perfect and entire consecration of ourselves to the Blessed Virgin….”[3]
[1] Patrick J. Gaffney, S.M.M., The Holy Slavery of Love, cited in Mariology, edited by Juniper B. Carol, O.F.M. (The Bruce Publishing Company, Milwaukee, Volume 3, 1961), p 143
[2] Saint Louis de Montfort, True Devotion to Mary, (TAN Books and Publishers, Inc., Rockford, IL 1985), p. 161, #257
[3] Saint Louis de Montfort, True Devotion to Mary, (TAN Books and Publishers, Inc., Rockford, IL 1985), p. 77, #120