Level VII · Consecration · practice 1 of 3

Personal Consecration

A formal, deliberate act in which you give yourself wholly to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Why this practice

Consecration is not a one-time prayer; it is a definitive handing-over. To consecrate oneself to the Sacred Heart is to say: I am Yours. My memory, my understanding, my will. What I love, what I fear, what I have, what I lack. Take it all. Use me.

St. Margaret Mary composed a famous Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart that has become traditional. Many other forms have been written. What matters is not the words but the resolve behind them.

How to begin

1Read the Act of Consecration of St. Margaret Mary, or another approved form, carefully — slowly enough to know what you are saying.

2Choose a date for your consecration. A Friday is fitting; the Feast of the Sacred Heart is especially fitting.

3Prepare for the day with the Sacrament of Confession and Holy Communion.

4Make the consecration kneeling before a crucifix, image of the Sacred Heart, or the Blessed Sacrament. Speak the words aloud.

5Keep a written copy. Read it again, and reaffirm it, regularly — at least annually on the feast.

Behold what He has done for thee. Now thou must give thyself entirely to Him.

— After St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

A prayer for this practice

I give and consecrate to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ my person and my life, my actions, pains, and sufferings, that I may be unwilling to make use of any part of my being save to honor, love, and glorify the Sacred Heart. This is my unchangeable purpose — that I be all His, and do all things for the love of Him.

Amen.

When you're ready

Annual renewal of consecration →