What is consecration?

The word " consecrate"  means "to make sacred," and refers to several different acts in the Catholic religion. During Mass, Eucharistic consecration is the moment when the priest changes the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. Consecration also refers to the step whereby a person gives his or her life to God by becoming a religious or "consecrated lay person". Generally speaking, consecration means giving oneself to God. A consecration consists in giving oneself (to Jesus, to the Holy Spirit, to the Virgin Mary, to a saint, etc.). By consecrating oneself to the Virgin Mary, for example, a person freely chooses to place oneself under her protection, thereby deciding to honor her and be faithful to her. There are prayers to accompany an act of consecration.

Updated on 31/03/2026|Reading time : 4 min

What does consecration mean

Consecration is an act of mutual union with God or a saint. The person decides to give himself or herself, for example, to the two United Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and to receive protection and assistance from them in return. The consecrated person usually has little to do in return, and always freely and according to his or her possibilities. For example, they honor the United Hearts and express their love and fidelity through daily prayer.

The origins of consecration

Consecration in the Bible

In Sacred Scripture, consecration to God is a founding event. First and foremost, the covenant between the Lord and the Hebrew people is consecrated to him. Consecration is an important stage in the lives of the great biblical figures: see Jacob (Gen 27), Samson (Judges 13:5), David (2 Samuel, 5, 3). It is usually accompanied by external signs: anointing with oil, presentation at the Temple in Jerusalem. It is an act that binds the creature to the Lord, opening the way to a holy life of obedience to God's commandments. Through the bond of consecration, the person detaches himself from evil influences and places himself in the hands of the Lord, who can then act effectively in his life. Jesus' consecration to the Father takes place at the momentous occasion of his Presentation in the Temple.


Consecrations in the history of Christianity

  • In 1689, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque received revelations about the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Christ asked her to consecrate the kingdom of France to his Sacred Heart. Louis XIV turned a deaf ear to these requests, and it was only Louis XVI who, from prison, finally consecrated France to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, albeit belatedly.
  • Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716) wrote The Secret of Mary , in which he recommended and proposed consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
  • In the many apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary over the centuries, the Mother of God has often requested acts of personal or public consecration. For example, at Fatima in Portugal in 1917, Our Lady asked that Russia be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart by the Pope in union with all the bishops of the world. She also asked for personal consecration to her Immaculate Heart. In Kerizinen, Brittany, the Virgin Mary appeared and asked for the consecration of the world to the two United Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

History has shown that consecrations are a "lifeline" offered to mankind by the Lord. Through apparitions in particular, God asks people to perform this simple act in order to save them from painful punishments.

The Church and recent consecrations

In accordance with Our Lady of Fatima's request, the Church has consecrated Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on several occasions (without, however, responding correctly to Our Lady's requests at Fatima). In particular, Russia and Ukraine were consecrated on March 25, 2022 by Pope Francis. Many countries have consecrated themselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary over the past fifty years (Portugal, Poland, Australia, Congo, Lebanon, England, Wales). On March 25, 2020, 24 countries consecrated themselves or renewed their consecration.

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The most widespread consecrations

There are also many other consecrations: consecration to the Holy Spirit, consecration to St. Michael the Archangel, consecration of the family to the Sacred Heart, consecration of the family to St. Joseph, consecration of France to Mary, etc.

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Discover consecrations with Hozana

Thanks to Hozana, you can discover all the best-known consecrations and, if you wish, start a consecration process right away, for yourself, for your family or for an entire country!