HOW IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MARY?

Even though Mary is a BIG part
of being Catholic,
you might be surprised
by the number of Catholics
who aren't very comfortable
with the topic of Marian Devotions;
cradle Catholics and converts alike!

Maybe you have a soft spot
in your heart for Mary,
but like we sometimes do
with our earthly mothers -
we forget to call.
We take for granted that they
love us and know that we love them,too.

This was certainly the case for
a priest named Father Michael E. Gaitley, MIC.
Father Gaitley chose to become a priest
in an order that has a special emphasis
and devotion to Mary.
What does MIC stand for?
Marians of the Immaculate Conception!

Yet in June 2011 he found himself
feeling a spiritual dryness
and a spiritual distance from Mary.

While giving a talk
to the new men in his community
he asked them to pray for him,
confessing that he needed
"a jumpstart in my devotion to her."

What happened next is amazing!
Those men DID pray for him.
They prayed so much that Father Gaitley
woke up one morning
(less than a month later)
with the idea for an entire book
AND a rekindled love
for Mary!

TOTAL CONSECRATION TO MARY

Father Gaitley's new book
is one we've needed for a long time.
In it, he leads us on a "Do-It-Yourself Retreat"
where we prepare for and then make
a Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary
(also known as Marian consecration).
As he says, Marian consecration is
"awesome, amazing, and life-changing"!

Based on the classic work,
True Devotion to Mary
by St. Louis de Montfort,
this new book lays out an
EASY
INFORMATIONAL
INSPIRATIONAL
WELL ORGANIZED
journey over 33 days.

During this little retreat
we learn about Mary's role in salvation History,
the depths of her love for us,
the deep thirst Jesus has for all mankind,
and how Total Consecration to Mary
is the "surest, easiest, and most perfect means"
to becoming a saint.

Unlike other devotions
where you may find yourself asking:
"What did I get myself into?"
This method does not include lengthy prayers
or long pages of difficult text to read.
Instead, each day contains just enough
to take in and reflect upon
in a productive way.

Morning Glory?

Father Gaitley's new book
is called
33 Days to Morning Glory.
Why "morning glory"? Isn't that a flower?
Father explains:

"I chose this part of the title
because I think it best captures
what Marian consecration is all about:
A new way of life in Christ.
The act of consecrating oneself to Jesus through Mary
marks the beginning of a gloriously new day,
a new dawn, a brand new morning
in one's spiritual journey.
It's a fresh start, and it changes everything."

But don't just take his word for it...

Spend a week with
St. Louis de Montfort
who teaches us that,
"if we were to personally and sincerely
renew our baptismal vows
and place them in the hands of Mary,
then this act alone
would go a long way in helping us
overcome sin in our lives."

Spend a week with
St. Maximilian Kolbe
who teaches us
how to become a saint.
"...sanctity isn't so hard. It's the result of a simple equation...
W+w=S
The capital W stands for God's Will.
The small w stands for our wills.
When the two wills are united,
they equal Sanctity."

Spend a week with
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
who teaches us
how to
"satiate the thirst
of Jesus Christ on the Cross
for Love and Souls".

Spend a week with
Blessed Pope John Paul II
who teaches us
about Marian entrustment
and the connection between
Mary and Divine Mercy:
"...consecration to
the Immaculate Heart of Mary means
'returning to the Cross of the Son.'
It means bringing the world
and all its problems and sufferings
to 'the pierced heart of the Savior'
and thus 'back to the very source of its Redemption.'
It means bringing the world,
through Mary, to Divine Mercy!"

"Yes, if we want to become more fully Christ,
then we need to belong more fully to Mary.
By going to her and remaining with her,
we allow her to accomplish her mission in us.
We allow her to form us into other Christs,
into great saints.
But how do we do this? ...
Simple.
We say yes, just like she did."

33 Days to Morning Glory
by Fr. Michael E. Gaitley, MIC
$14.95
Softcover
Only 195 easy-to-read pages.

Imprimi Potest:
Very Rev. Kazimierz Chwalek, MIC
Provincial Superior
The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy Province
October 7, 2011

Watch a short video on this amazing book

Words of Praise for 33 Days to Morning Glory:

"Finally an easy way to understand and live out Marian consecration!
Forget about difficult theology and out-dated language.
Here, for the first time, you'll find the best Marian teachings ...
all presented so simply and clearly that you can immediately
make them your own and apply them in your daily life."
-- Vinny Flynn, Bestselling author of 7 Secrets of the Eucharist

"...Father Michael E. Gaitley, MIC, has done the people of God
a great service with his adaptation of the 33-day preparation
for the consecration...Take this retreat and let
St. Maximilian Kolbe, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, Blessed John Paul II,
and St. Louis de Montfort lead you into the mystical wonder
of the Immaculate Heart. Believe me, your life will never be the same!
-- Johnnette S. Benkovic, Founder and President of
Women of Grace

August 14 is the feast day
of St. Maximilian Kolbe -
a great saint who dedicated his life
to bringing the whole world to God
through Christ
under the guidance of Mary Immaculate.

In 1894 he was born to a poor Polish farming family
and given the name Raymond.
He was a difficult and exasperating child
until Mary appeared to him one day
holding two crowns in her hands.
She offered them to him:
one was white - representing chastity,
one was red - representing martyrdom.
He accepted them both and
the boy was transformed.

He entered seminary and
in 1917 formed the "Militia Immaculata".
Taking the name Maximilian,
he sacrificed everything to work
in obedience to God's will
and in union with Mary -
transforming hearts and minds throughout Poland and Japan.

His hard work and obedience to God's Will
meant that he became a target
for those intent on spreading evil.
In 1941 he was arrested
by the Gestapo
and sent to Auschwitz concentration camp.
There, he volunteered
to take the place of a prisoner
who had been condemned to death by starvation.
He died a martyr of charity on August 14, 1941.

Did you know that St. Maximilian,
who had such a deep love for Mary,
died on the eve of one of her greatest Feast Days?

August 15th is the
Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary!

On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII declared,
that the Virgin Mary, "having completed the course
of her earthly life,
was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory."

This is a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics
when we are required to attend Mass
and celebrate this important event
in the life of Mary, our Blessed Mother.

33 Days & Forget Not Love Set

Consider both 33 Days to Morning Glory
as well as Forget Not Love - The Passion of Maximillian Kolbe.
Each title also available separately.