Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

O Mary, Virgin most powerful and Mother of Mercy, Queen of Heaven and Refuge of Sinners, we consecrate ourselves to thy Immaculate Heart. We consecrate to thee our very being and our whole life: all that we have, all that we love, all that we are. To thee we give our bodies, our hearts, and our souls; to thee we give our homes, our families and our country. We desire that all that is in us and around us may belong to thee and may share in the benefits of thy motherly blessing.

And, that this act of consecration may be truly fruitful and lasting, we renew this day at thy feet the promises of our Baptism and our First Holy Communion. We pledge ourselves to profess courageously and at all times the truths of our holy Faith, and to live as befits Catholics, who are submissive to all directions of the Pope and the bishops in communion with him. We pledge ourselves to keep the Commandments of God and His Church, in particular to keep holy the Lord’s Day. We pledge ourselves to make the consoling practices of the Christian religion, and above all, Holy Communion, an important part of our lives, in so far as we shall be able to do.

Finally, we promise thee, O glorious Mother of God and loving Mother of men, to devote ourselves wholeheartedly to the spreading of devotion to thy Immaculate Heart, in order to hasten and assure, through the queenly rule of thy Immaculate Heart, the coming of the kingdom of the Sacred Heart of thy adorable Son, in our own hearts and in those of all men, in our country, and in all the world, as in Heaven, so on earth. Amen.

---

The background of Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

The Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary has its roots in the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal in 1917. The three shepherd children who witnessed the apparitions were told by Mary to “consecrate themselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary” and to encourage others to do the same.

The prayer was later popularized by Pope Pius XII, who himself had a deep devotion to Mary and her Immaculate Heart. In 1942, he consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and encouraged Catholics around the world to do the same.

The prayer continued to gain popularity throughout the 20th century, especially as Marian devotion became more prevalent in the Catholic Church. Many Catholics found in the prayer a powerful way to deepen their own spiritual lives and to express their devotion to Mary.

Today, the Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is still widely prayed by Catholics around the world, especially during Marian feast days such as the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on June 12. It continues to be seen as a powerful act of devotion that can bring great blessings and spiritual growth to those who pray it.