What to do after your Marian Consecration

“How does my family retain the fruitfulness of the Marian Consecration after the 33 days are over?”

This is a question we have received over the last year since we first launched our Holy Heroes Marian Consecration Family Adventure. Hundreds of families have walked through this 33-day program to a deeper understanding and appreciation for Mary’s role in their lives. But how do families continue to retain this daily practice of reflection and prayer WHILE ALSO growing in the wonder of God’s gift of Mother Mary?

Reflection 

Daily reflection is a key component of the Marian Consecration. While you may no longer be receiving daily emails as reminders to make this part of daily life, a spiritual journal is a way to continually incorporate daily reflection. Filled with guided questions and plenty of room to journal, this is a simple way to continue the practice of daily reflections throughout the year. One mother commented:

I highly recommend these journals…The journals improved our daily prayer immediately on Day One, and has given us a concrete reminder to think on our blessings, examine our consciences, and other important things each day.

Coupled with any spiritual reading, this is an approachable (and kid-friendly) way to continue your family’s daily reflections after your Marian Consecration. 

Prayer

If one does not learn how to pray in the family, it will be difficult later to bridge this gap. And so I would like to address to you the invitation to pray together as a family at the school of the Holy Family in Nazareth and therby really become one heart and soul—a true family.

–Pope Benedict XVI

After spending time reflecting, the next step is to incorporate daily prayer. If you are looking for support on how to continue your family prayer time after your Marian Consecration, there are plenty of resources to help! For something that builds on what you learned in the Marian Consecration while also providing an “action plan” for your family prayer, The Fatima Family Handbook is a great place to start. If you are looking for a more straightforward approach, the audio Rosaries are an easy way for your family to pray along with other Catholics.  

Whether this is through the Rosary or other, praying as a family is the best way to transform and enhance home life into a domestic church.  

Wonder

The final piece of the Marian Consecration to retain is the sense of wonder of the Virgin Mary. Walking through the Marian Apparitions during the Marian Consecration is a way of instilling in children the reality of these events and how wonderful it is to have a mother in Heaven who is always available to her children on earth.  Once children have been introduced to the wonder of Mary, it is important to retain it.

The Marian Apparition Collection contains the stories of Fatima, Lourdes, and Guadalupe. These beautiful stories stress the fact that these were real events that demonstrate the incredible miracle of Our Blessed Mother. Perfect for car rides, bedtime stories, or religious education supplements, these CDs are ones that your children of all ages can page through and experience the wonder of Our Lady. Hold onto and continue to feed your children’s wonder for their Catholic faith! 

Reflection, Prayer, and Wonder. These are the three things your family can take from the Marian Consecration after the 33 days are over. By incorporating these three things into daily life, your family can grow in their love for Mary and the Catholic faith within the domestic church.