TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY

1 ILLUSTRATED TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY WITH PREPARATION FOR TOTAL CONSECRATION SAINT LOUIS DE MONTFORT TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL FRENCH BY REVEREND FREDERICK WILLIAM FABER I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel. GENESIS 3:15 Copyright 2013 by Catholic Way Publishing. All rights reserved. Copyright 1863 by Burns and Lambert, London, UK. Re-typeset and re-published in 2013 by Catholic Way Publishing. Cover design by Catholic Way Publishing. Included is a supplementary 33-day Preparation for Total Consecration, 1958. Paintings by Bartolom Esteban Murillo, a 17th Century Spanish Baroque artist and others. This copyrighted edition is revised and edited from the original. Originally titled; A Treatise on the True DEVOTION to the Blessed Virgin by the Venerable Servant of God, Louis-Marie, Grignon de Montfort.

2 Translated form the original French by Frederick William Faber, Priest of the Oratory. This work is published for the greater glory of Jesus Christ through His most holy mother Mary and for the sanctification of the church militant. The typography of this book is the property of Catholic Way Publishing and may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without written permission of the Publisher. Catholic Way Publishing and the associated logo are registered Trademarks of the Catholic Way Publishing Company. PDF Edition: ISBN-13: 978-1-78379-005-0 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 Available in E-Book. London, England, UK 2013 CONTENTS COMMENDATIONS OF THE POPES .. 1 INFORMATION .. 3 ABOUT TRUE DEVOTION TO 3 ABOUT SAINT LOUIS DE MONTFORT .. 5 PREFACE .. 9 TRANSLATOR S PREFACE .. 9 PREFACE TO THE FRENCH EDITION .. 13 INTRODUCTION .. 16 TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY Part I ON DEVOTION TO OUR BLESSED LADY IN GENERAL.

3 22 I EXCELLENCE AND NECESSITY OF DEVOTION TO OUR BLESSED LADY .. 23 II DISCERNMENT OF THE TRUE DEVOTION TO OUR BLESSED LADY FIVE FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS PRESUPPOSED .. 45 FIRST TRUTH .. 45 SECOND TRUTH .. 51 THIRD TRUTH .. 56 FOURTH TRUTH .. 58 FIFTH TRUTH .. 61 1 ON FALSE DEVOTIONS TO OUR LADY .. 65 2 ON THE CHARACTERS OF TRUE DEVOTION TO OUR BLESSED LADY .. 72 TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY Part II ON THE MOST EXCELLENT DEVOTION TO OUR BLESSED LADY, OR THE PERFECT CONSECRATION TO JESUS BY MARY .. 77 PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS ON THE DIFFERENT WAYS OF HONOURING OUR BLESSED LADY .. 78 I IN WHAT CONSISTS THE PERFECT CONSECRATION TO JESUS CHRIST BY MARY .. 82 II THE MOTIVES OF THIS PERFECT CONSECRATION .. 90 FIRST MOTIVE .. 90 SECOND 92 THIRD MOTIVE .. 95 FOURTH MOTIVE .. 98 FIFTH MOTIVE .. 99 SIXTH MOTIVE .. 109 SEVENTH MOTIVE .. 110 EIGHTH MOTIVE.

4 111 FIGURE OF THIS CONSECRATION IN THE HISTORY OF JACOB RECEIVING THE BLESSING OF ISAAC THROUGH THE OFFICES OF REBECCA .. 118 III THE WONDERFUL EFFECTS WHICH THIS DEVOTION PRODUCES IN THE SOUL WHICH IS FAITHFUL TO IT .. 135 IV PARTICULAR PRACTICES OF THIS DEVOTION .. 144 1 EXTERNAL PRACTICES .. 145 FIRST PRACTICE .. 146 SECOND PRACTICE .. 148 THIRD PRACTICE .. 149 FOURTH PRACTICE .. 152 FIFTH PRACTICE .. 155 SIXTH PRACTICE .. 158 SEVENTH PRACTICE .. 159 2 PARTICULAR AND INTERIOR PRACTICES FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO BE PERFECT .. 161 MANNER OF PRACTISING THIS DEVOTION TO OUR LADY, WHEN WE GO TO HOLY COMMUNION .. 168 1. BEFORE COMMUNION .. 168 2. AT COMMUNION .. 169 3. AFTER HOLY COMMUNION .. 170 33-DAY PREPARATION FOR TOTAL CONSECRATION TO MARY .. 172 INITIAL 12-DAY PREPARATION EMPTYING YOURSELF OF THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD .. 173 DAY 1.

5 174 DAY 2 .. 175 DAY 3 .. 176 DAY 4 .. 177 DAY 5 .. 179 DAY 6 .. 180 DAY 7 .. 181 DAY 8 .. 182 DAY 9 .. 183 DAY 10 .. 185 DAY 11 .. 186 DAY 12 .. 187 WEEK ONE OBTAIN KNOWLEDGE OF YOURSELF .. 189 DAY 13 .. 190 DAY 14 .. 191 DAY 15 .. 192 DAY 16 .. 193 DAY 17 .. 195 DAY 18 .. 196 DAY 19 .. 198 WEEK TWO OBTAIN KNOWLEDGE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN .. 200 DAY 20 .. 201 DAY 21 .. 202 DAY 22 .. 203 DAY 23 .. 205 DAY 24 .. 206 DAY 25 .. 208 DAY 26 .. 209 WEEK THREE OBTAIN KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST .. 211 DAY 27 .. 212 DAY 28 .. 213 DAY 29 .. 215 DAY 30 .. 216 DAY 31 .. 217 DAY 32 .. 218 DAY 33 .. 220 HOW TO MAKE YOUR CONSECRATION .. 223 CONSECRATION OF OURSELVES TO JESUS CHRIST, THE INCARNATE WISDOM, BY THE HANDS OF MARY .. 225 PRAYERS .. 229 VENI CREATOR SPIRITUS .. 230 AVE MARIS STELLA .. 231 MAGNIFICAT .. 232 GLORY 232 PRAY THE ROSARY .. 233 LITANY OF THE HOLY GHOST.

6 234 LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (LITANY OF LORETO) .. 236 LITANY OF THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS .. 238 ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT S PRAYER TO MARY .. 241 ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT S PRAYER TO JESUS .. 243 O JESUS LIVING IN MARY .. 244 TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY: WITH PREPARATION 1 COMMENDATIONS OF THE POPES Blessed Pope Pius IX (1846 78): Declared that Saint Louis De Montfort s DEVOTION to Mary was the best and most acceptable form of DEVOTION to Our Lady. Pope Leo XIII (1878 1903): Granted a Plenary Indulgence to those who make Saint Louis De Montfort s act of consecration to the Blessed Virgin. On his deathbed he renewed the act him-self and invoked the heavenly aid of Saint Louis De Montfort, whom he had beatified in 1888. Pope Saint Pius X (1903 14): I heartily recommend True De-votion to The Blessed Virgin, so admirably written by [Saint] De Montfort, and to all who read it grant the Apostolic Bene-diction.

7 There is no surer or easier way than Mary in unit-ing all men with Christ. Pope Benedict XV (1914 22): A book of high authority and unction. Pope Pius XI (1922 39): I have practiced this DEVOTION ever since my youth. Pope Pius XII (1939 58): God Alone was everything to him. Remain faithful to the precious heritage, which this great saint left you. It is a glorious inheritance, worthy, that you continue to sacrifice your strength and your life, as you have done until today. 2 SAINT LOUIS DE MONTFORT Pope Paul VI (1963 78): We are convinced without any doubt that DEVOTION to Our Lady is essentially joined with DEVOTION to Christ, that it assures a firmness of conviction to faith in Him and in His church , a vital adherence to Him and to His church which, without DEVOTION to Mary, would be impover-ished and compromised.

8 Blessed Pope John Paul II (1978 2005): The reading of this book was a decisive turning-point in my life. I say turning-point, but in fact it was a long inner journey .. This perfect DEVOTION is indispensable to anyone who means to give himself without reserve to Christ and to the work of redemption.. It is from Montfort that I have taken my motto: Totus tuus ( I am all thine ). Someday I ll have to tell you Montfortians how I discovered De Montfort s Treatise on True DEVOTION to Mary, and how often I had to reread it to understand it. Vatican Council II (1962 1965): The maternal duty of Mary toward men in no way obscures or diminishes this unique me-diation of Christ, but rather shows its power. All her saving in-fluence on men originates not from some inner necessity, but from the divine pleasure. It flows forth from the superabun-dance of the merits of Christ, rests on His mediation, depends entirely on it and draws all its power from it.

9 The practices and exercises of DEVOTION to her recommended by the church in the course of the centuries [are to] be treasured. (Lumen Gentium: 60, 67). TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY: WITH PREPARATION 3 INFORMATION ABOUT TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY THIS unique version includes two books in one. The origi-nal and best True DEVOTION to Mary, has been translated from French by Father Faber, and a 33-Day Preparation for Total Consecration along with Scripture Readings and Prayers. This version of True DEVOTION to Mary has the original Latin along with the English, and uses the numbered paragraph format. It also includes paintings by a famous 16th century artist, Bartolome Esteban Murillo. A Treatise on the True DEVOTION to the Blessed Virgin or True DEVOTION to Mary is considered the greatest book on the Blessed Virgin Mary ever written and has been recom-mended and practiced by eight Popes.

10 This is the original scrupulously faithful translation by Father Frederick Wil-liam Faber. The great Marian Pope, Blessed Pope John Paul II practised this DEVOTION to Mary, in his Letter to the Montfort Fathers he says: A work destined to become a classic of Marian spirituali-ty was published 160 years ago. St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort wrote the Treatise on True DEVOTION to the Blessed Virgin at the beginning of the 1700s, but the manuscript remained practically unknown for more than a century. When, almost by chance, it was at last discovered in 1842 and published in 1843, the work was an instant success, 4 SAINT LOUIS DE MONTFORT proving extraordinarily effective in spreading the true DEVOTION to the Most Holy Virgin. I myself, in the years of my youth, found reading this book a great help.