It is very important to understand the true nature of DeMontfort's total consecration to Mary. It is unlike the ordinary commitments that one might make to a religious confraternity, like the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary. One does not promise to keep the obligations of such a confraternity under penalty of sin. If one enrolls himself in an ordinary confraternity, he will loose many of the benefits granted to the confraternity by the Church if he fails to keep up his own commitments. That is why one may enroll in a confraternity, but if he fails to keep the obligations of the confraternity: he simply looses the extraordinary benefits that are attached by the Church to being enrolled: but he commits no sin. Essentially the person himself, who fails to keep his intended commitments to a confraternity, is the only looser. It is true, that he no longer contributes to the good of of the other members of the confraternity, but he certainly gains more from the indulgences and prerogatives granted to the confraternity by the Church by actively keeping his commitments, than the other members of the confraternity loose by his failure to participate. Also, the moment he begins to keep his obligations again, he begins to share again in all the benefits granted to the confraternity by the Church.

DeMontfort's Total Consecration is different. This consecration has the characters of a vow: because it is a most solemn and eternal dedication. It is more than an ordinary promise - which is not binding under penalty of sin; but it is less demanding that the solemn vows, which one would make to become a professed religious. Still, the effect of this consecration, properly made, is irrevocable. Once a person understands the nature of this consecration, he understands that he is entirely abrogating any of his natural spiritual rights to dictate where the merits of his good actions might be applied. A person who makes this consecration, may fast and pray for any intention he would like; but he has absolutely no assurance that merits of his fasts and prayers will be applied for that intention. In fact, he can almost be certain that Our Lady may often see a greater spiritual need elsewhere; she may freely use these merits for anything that she desires. He can not, in fact, even offer up prayers and fasts for himself. He entirely abrogates possession of himself; he completely gives away ownership of his own body and his soul, all of his material possessions, and even the right to to dispose of the values of any of his good actions.

One must trust that Our Lady will tenderly care for all his needs: just as she cared for the needs of Jesus. However, a soul thus consecrated to her, can never DEMAND anything from her. He has willingly offered himself to her, to be her slave. A slave cannot demand anything from his master. One must completely resign himself to her will, to her generosity, and to her protection. It is precisely in the complete surrender of one's own soul to trust in the Blessed Virgin, from which come the most extraordinary graces. One gives up his own body and soul, but replaces himself, in his own estimation, by becoming the servant, the complete slave, and the absolute possession of Most Holy Mary. One must now rely upon her for absolutely everything. Her wisdom will dictate his circumstances; and her will shall dictate the distribution of all of his sanctifying graces.

Even if they forget about her: she will not forget about them: or their solemn consecration to her. She may bless them when they do not deserve anything at all, and she may seem to permit them to endure chastisements and crosses which they feel are completely unfair. They must resign themselves to be used by her, as her own possessions. They must accept that she will now use them as instruments to crush the head of Satan. Because they now belong to the Blessed Virgin, every good thing they do is actually the work of the Blessed Virgin, and the spiritual merit of every evil they are forced to endure is now the property of the Blessed Virgin. Our Lady will use these special children to crush the head of Satan in the apocalyptic battle of these end times. Satan is painfully aware of who is responsible for his defeat: because it comes primarily through these very souls who are so especially consecrated to Mary. Mary will use her most humble children to crush the head of this ancient serpent, and they will be used to thwart his proud servants who seem to be the rulers of this earth. Satan hates these souls with a special vengeance. They must stay very, very close to their mother, sacramentally and spiritually, or he will wreak terrible havoc in their lives in every way he can. However, she will only allow him to persecute such souls, insofar as it is required to convince them of their own incapacity: and of their great need of her powerful protection.

Because of the grave and serious nature of this total consecration; one must not enter into it lightly. The less serious one is, the less one really belongs to the Blessed Virgin. A soul must diligently prepare for this special act of consecration. Though one may begin to recite the act of consecration immediately, one still must make a very special Act of Consecration with the greatest solemnity on a specific day. One should most certainly go to mass on the day of ones solemn consecration. One should offer his private intentions of the mass for the perfect efficacy of the consecration he is about to make. A person would be wise to save the Act of Total Consecration, and to reformat the document so that it includes their own name full confirmation name. One should also sign and date the document, and then save it. This paper in fact becomes the original deed of ones own body and soul; it becomes the temporal evidence that one has dedicated himself to really be the possession of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. One should then re-consecrate himself on this same day, every year, using the same form of consecration for the rest of his life.

On a daily basis, the soul may exchange the act of consecration to something short and simple, such as the prayer St. Louis DeMontfort recommends: "I am all thine Immaculate One, with all that I have: in time and in eternity." Any similar prayer is sufficient to continue to grow in the extremely valuable prerogatives of sanctifying grace, which are now available through this extraordinary consecration. Most Holy Mary is never out-done in generosity. She will repay a hundred fold anyone who will consecrate themselves to her in this way. That person however, can not demand anything from Our Lady. One may only present their needs and desires with humble confidence; they must trust that her wisdom and generosity will take care of all their needs; she will exceed the desires of their own expectations. 

However, one must be prepared not to receive graces and heavenly prerogatives in the manner which one expects. It is almost certain, that in most instances, Our Lady will not do a souls bidding in the way a soul imagines that she might. The soul must accept that IN FACT: IT IS HER PROPERTY. A person can not use Mary: Mary will use the person! This is very painful for most people, who are secretly filled with self love. It would be best for a person who consecrates himself to Our Lady in this way, simply to believe that he is interiorly filled with pride and self love. They must be prepared for Our Lady to rid them of this self love,  by forcing them to resign their will to hers. This can be very painful, and it is often infuriating to the soul who expects that the designs of own will be accomplished according to its own desires. The only relief comes through accepting that one has no choice, and no options. One must habitually learn to accept the providence of God, as it is ordained through Our Lady's gentle, but very real wisdom.

A person must choose a special, and solemn day on which to make this consecration. The day that DeMontfort suggested for this consecration was March 25th, the Solemnity of the Annunciation. On this day, Christ himself subjected his own body and soul to total dependency to the Blessed Virgin. Knowing this however, should not stop one from choosing another significant Marian Feast day to make his own solemn act of total consecration: perhaps a day will be chosen to make this consecration which is important to the soul itself. The Greatest Marian Feast of the entire Church year is August 15th, the Solemnity of the Assumption. This is a Holy Day of Obligation. On this day Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven, where she was then crowned by the hand of God as Queen of Heaven and Earth, Angels and Men. 7 days later, on August 22nd, the Church honors Mary with a special feast day in honor of her Queenship: this is the Feast of the Queenship of Mary. Next, one might consider December 8th, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Next, one might consider January 1st, New Years Day, which is a Holy Day of Obligation. It is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. After this, one might consider one of the Fatima feasts: like May 13th, which are a great Marian feasts in these later days. It is no coincidence that the Fathers of the Blessed Sacrament had already chosen this day to honor Our Lady on this day as: Feast of Lady of the Blessed Sacrament. May 13th is especially important to all devotees of Our Lady of Fatima, but they should remember that she may have chosen this day because this is the titular Feast of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, kept sacred by the Fathers of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament founded by St. Peter Julian Eymard. There are a number of other Marian Feasts which a soul might choose on which to make this consecration. What is important, is that the soul duly prepare himself to solemnly make this act of total consecration; preferably on his knees before an image of the Blessed Virgin; and that he remember to solemnly renew this consecration on that same day for the rest of his life.

The DeMontfort Fathers propagate a special association to honor this devotion of Total Consecration to Mary. This was formerly called the Arch Confraternity of Mary Queen of All Hearts, but it is now called The Association of Mary Queen of all Hearts. It's members receive many extraordinary privileges and indulgences. If one wishes to be enrolled in this Holy Association, he might send e-mail to the General of Montfortian Associates, or call the Main Provincial of the DeMontfort Fathers in the United Sates at: (718) 665-0726 and request that he be enrolled as a member of the Association of Mary Queen of All Hearts. Anyone who joins this association is assumed to have totally consecrated himself to the Blessed Virgin, according the form and intentions of St. Louis DeMontfort's True Devotion to Mary.

One may learn more about this devotion, and this consecration, by reading the online version of The Secret of Mary by St. Louis DeMontfort.