5 Ways to Honor the Immaculate Heart This Month

Did you know that the Church designates each month of the year to honor a specific devotional theme? This allows the faithful to unite in prayer throughout the liturgical year as we dedicate—or rededicate—ourselves to what we hold most dear. Through this devotional cycle, we are repeatedly encouraged and strengthened as believers, we continue sacred traditions, and we pass them to future generations. 

The month of August honors the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Here are 5 ways to reverence and celebrate Our Lady's Immaculate Heart this month (and anytime throughout the year!):

1. Wear & Share Reminders

Choose a tangible sign of your desire to be more like Mary as you ask for her protection and intercession. A bracelet or ring is a great reminder, because you will notice it throughout your day. 

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If you don't own a Miraculous Medal or Brown Scapular, consider wearing one for Mary. The sacramentals we wear are more than just tokens that express our faith and move us to veneration. They proclaim what we believe, and in that way, can evangelize others and spark conversations that bring praise to our mother Mary. Our Lady has also promised remarkable graces to those who wear her Brown Scapular and Miraculous Medal!

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Not a jewelry person? Carry a keychain, hang an auto rosary, or snap on a visor clip with an image of the Immaculate Heart in the car. Each time you see these small things throughout your day, you will catch a glimpse of Our Lady and be reminded of her love. 

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Allow these little reminders to prompt you to short prayers, aspirations of affection, and requests for help and healing from the Immaculate Heart of Mary. You will grow closer to her as you talk to her throughout your daily routine.

Do you enjoy holy art? Choose a small statue or image of the Immaculate Heart and place it where you will see it numerous times a day. It could be a costly piece of framed art, but it could also be a holy card, plaque, or a small icon that sits on your desk at work. 

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Your work space, kitchen counter, prayer table, front entryway, nightstand, or anywhere else where you will pass by or notice it frequently will be the perfect spot. When you catch a glimpse of the image, let it prompt you to praise God for the gift of His Mother, or ask her for protection.

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2. Bring Mary Home

Is Mary displayed in your home? Any table or space will do. Place a simple cloth on top or forego a decorative cover. Find a small bud vase where you can place outdoor blooms, a framed image or statue, and anything else that is symbolic of Mary's Immaculate Heart and motherly love.

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If you have children or grandchildren, ask them to choose the items, pick flowers in the yard, and arrange the table in an attractive way. Candles are a nice touch. An LED votive candle is a perfect addition to a home altar, because you can turn it on and off easily and safely and let the candle "burn" all day long this month, in honor of the Immaculate Heart.

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3. Begin the Five First Saturdays

Requested by Our Lady at Fatima, the Five First Saturdays is an act of reparation to her Immaculate Heart. To those who fulfill the conditions of this devotion, Mary promised she would assist them at the hour of their death with all the graces necessary for the salvation of their souls. She told the children of Fatima she desired to bring peace to our world and convert sinners through this devotion.

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To fulfill this devotion, perform the following acts on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, offering all in reparation to Our Lady's Immaculate Heart:

• Receive Holy Communion
• Go to confession within eight days or so
• Devoutly recite five decades of the Rosary
• Meditate on the Mysteries of the Rosary for 15 minutes

4. Give Your Year to the Immaculate Heart

Give your year to Mary this August. Tell her you are dedicating it - entrusting it - to her heart. Spend time each day immersing yourself there, then see what graces Our Lady brings your way.

Speak to her as your spiritual mother and tell her of your desire to grow closer to her. Ask her to help you stay disciplined in your devotion to her Immaculate Heart this month. It won't be hard to find a prayer you can pray daily. 

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This daily consecration prayer by St. Maximillian Kolbe is one of my favorites: 

O Immaculata, Queen of Heaven and earth, refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother, God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to you. I, (name), a repentant sinner, cast myself at your feet, humbly imploring you to take me with all that I am and have, wholly to yourself as your possession and property. Please make of me, of all my powers of soul and body, of my whole life, death and eternity, whatever most pleases you.

If it pleases you, use all that I am and have without reserve, wholly to accomplish what was said of you: “She will crush your head,” and, “You alone have destroyed all heresies in the world.” Let me be a fit instrument in your immaculate and merciful hands for introducing and increasing your glory to the maximum in all the many strayed and indifferent souls, and thus help extend as far as possible the blessed kingdom of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For wherever you enter, you obtain the grace of conversion and growth in holiness, since it is through your hands that all graces come to us from the most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Allow me to praise you, O sacred Virgin.

Give me strength against your enemies.

Amen.

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5. Celebrate Her with Others

If you have children, make heart-shaped cookies they can help decorate, or cupcakes iced in blue, white, and gold. Throw a Heart of Mary Tea Party, where they color pictures of her together, and write her special letters of love and thanksgiving. 

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Bring a flower to your parish and place it at her statue. Light a votive candle there praising and thanking God for the gift of the Immaculate Heart. Offer your Communions in thanksgiving for Mary and her love, asking her continued intercession in your life. 

Invite Catholic friends over for a potluck meal and a rosary during the month of August, or keep it simple and have everyone bring a dessert to share after the rosary concludes. Place a statue in the center of the area where you gather to pray the rosary and join your imperfect prayers to her powerful ones.

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Purchase some small, inexpensive medals and prayer cards and give them to family, friends, your prayer group, or ministry partners to promote devotion to Our Lady's Immaculate Heart.

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Accept the Invitation

The Immaculate Heart of Mary, free from the stain of sin, is one of the richest and most beloved devotions in the Church. This August, as Catholics celebrate and honor the Immaculate Heart, unite yourself to the Mother of God in a special way. Accept this invitation from the Church to elevate your love and devotion to Mary. 

Her "yes" to God the Father in the Incarnation, her docility of spirit in accepting God's will, and her humble embrace of her Son's redemptive mission all manifest her purity and infinite love for each of us. Ask her to enclose you within her Immaculate Heart and to keep your loved ones there in her care. 

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She is our model for a profound interior life of union with Christ. During both joys and sorrows, she praised and embraced God's designs for her and those she loved. Now, from her place in heaven, she awaits the requests of her children with open arms and a heart overflowing with love. 

By honoring Mary and her Immaculate Heart, we give glory and honor to her Son. We learn to love Him and hope in His promises. We are drawn by Mary's example to faithfully trust in His word and His will. Where better to learn how to love God and others than the school of Mary's motherly heart?

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!