Consecrating Your Child
Consecrating ourselves to God is a very old tradition within the Catholic Church. Our children come from God; when we consecrate them to Him, we voluntarily give them back to Him so that He can protect them and direct their lives according to His will.
When we consecrate them to God through the Saints, we are asking for their protection and guidance in forming our children into images of Christ so that they can attain the end to which God calls them as Christians.
You can use the prayers below for consecrating your children if you feel called to do so.
Consecration of Your Child to Jesus, Mary and Joseph
(taken from www.womenofgrace.com)
O Jesus, only Son of God, only Son of Mary, I come to Thee as an unworthy parent, and I humbly consecrate to thy Most Sacred Heart, now and for eternity, the soul of my child N. I surrender him/her to Thy sweet yoke and place him/her at the foot of Thy Cross. I offer Thee for him/her the most loving Heart of Thy Most Holy Mother Mary, which is more precious and pleasing to Thee than all hearts, and I beg Thee by her merits to show Thyself to him/her a Saviour.
O Mary, Mother of Jesus, I come to Thee as an unworthy parent, and I humbly consecrate to thy Most Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, now and for eternity, the soul of my child N. I offer Thee for him/her the most adorable Heart of Thy Son Jesus, who is the life, love and joy of Thy own Heart, and I beg Thee by the infinite merits of the Divine Son, Thou who art our Mother in the order of grace, to obtain the grace of salvation for my child.
O glorious St. Joseph, I come to thee and ask thee to take under thy special protection my child N. I consecrate him/her to thee today, that through this consecration he/she they may become your foster child. Guard him/her, guide his/her steps in life, and form his/her heart after the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. O glorious St. Joseph, who felt the tribulation and worry of a parent when the child Jesus was lost, protect him/her for time and eternity. May you be his/her father and counsellor. Preserve him/her from the corruption of this world, and obtain for us the grace to be united in heaven forever. Amen.
Consecration of Your Child to Joseph
(taken from www.catholic.org)
O glorious St. Joseph, to you God committed the care of His only begotten Son amid the many dangers of this world.
We come to you and ask you to take under your special protection the children God has given us.
Through holy baptism they became children of God and members of His holy Church.
We consecrate them to you today, that through this consecration they may become your foster children.
Guard them, guide their steps in life, form their hearts after the hearts of Jesus and Mary.
St. Joseph, who felt the tribulation and worry of a parent when the child Jesus was lost, protect our dear children for time and eternity.
May you be their father and counsellor.
Let them, like Jesus, grow in age as well as in wisdom and grace before God and men.
Preserve them from the corruption of this world, and give us the grace one day to be united with them in heaven forever. Amen.
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