St. Therese Institute devotions for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Every Advent on December 8, the Church celebrates a singular moment in history: the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a day of joyful hymns. White vestments replace the normal purple of Advent. We declare that grace is stronger than sin.
This solemnity holds deep significance our St. Therese Institute program participants because they have prepared for 33 days! Our Gap Year participants just completed the 33 Days to Morning Glory program, a journey that led them to consecrate themselves to Jesus through the hands of Mary His Mother. Residents who are here for a Mission Year completed consecration to the Sacred Heart. Staff members on the intern team even did a 33 day consecration to St. Joseph.
To celebrate the culmination of this journey, the St. Therese Institute community gathered with the wider parish in the morning at the church of St. Bruno. We were joined by Sr. April Mireau of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary for a profound reflection before Mass. Fr. Pius Schroh offered a festal Mass that was made especially beautiful by a schola cantorum choir from St. Therese Institute, led by Rachelle Bentler, which sang all the proper and ordinary parts of the Mass a cappella. Finally, St. Therese Institute hosted a feast day brunch afterwards at our campus. The total experience was indeed glorious.
So what is the idea of “consecration,” and why is it such a magnet for young hearts in 2025?
Consecration to Mary: The “Surest, Easiest, Shortest” Way to Holiness
The spiritual practice of consecrating oneself to Jesus through Mary is not new. Its most famous architect was St. Louis de Montfort, a fiery 18th-century French missionary who wrote the classic text, True Devotion to Mary. De Montfort’s premise was simple but radical: Since God chose to come to us through Mary, the most perfect way for us to return to God is also through her.
De Montfort famously described this path as the “surest, easiest, shortest, and the most perfect means” to becoming a saint. He argued that while we can certainly approach Jesus directly, our own human frailty can make the path stumbling and slow. When we go through Mary, we are carried. We give her our small, imperfect merits, and she purifies them, presenting them to Jesus with her own perfect love.
For a 21st-century reader, though, de Montfort’s 300-year-old language can sometimes feel intimidating. Enter Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC, and his transformative book, 33 Days to Morning Glory. Fr. Gaitley describes his program as a “do-it-yourself retreat” updated for the Third Millennium. He takes the core of de Montfort’s teaching but expands it through the lens of three other “Marian Giants” of the modern era: St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and St. John Paul II. This 33-day immersion brings a deeper relationship with Jesus’ mother and a deeper understanding of Mary’s roles in salvation history and our own spiritual journeys.
Sr. April Mireau: Living the Mysteries
Sr. April, a Sister of the Presentation of Mary, radiates the charisms of her order: to follow the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary presenting herself for service in the temple, in a spirit of adoration and self-offering. The Sisters of the Presentation are also dedicated to the Christian education of youth.
In a talk filled with personal stories about her journey with Mary, Sr. April invited us to posture our hearts to receive. She challenged us to see the Rosary as a reality we live. Rather than seeing the Joyful, Sorrowful, Luminous, and Glorious mysteries as events that happened 2,000 years ago, our own lives can be a participation in these very mysteries.
“We’re called not only to meditate on the mysteries of Jesus in the Rosary, but also to live them,” said Sr. April. “There will be times in our life that are ‘Joyful,’ times that are ‘Sorrowful,’ times that are ‘Luminous,’ and one day, by God’s grace, ‘Glorious.’ We’re called to enter in and live these mysteries of Christ. It will look different for each one of us, but we’ll all touch them.”
Sr. April reminded us that by consecrating ourselves to Mary, we are asking her to be present in every mystery we live, just as she was present in the life of Christ. Alongside Mary and the rosary, “you can ask yourself: which mystery am I living today in the life of Christ?”
She ended with a beautiful prayer reflection and a challenge to the St. Therese residents to find a single word that summarizes their personal relationship with the Blessed Mother. “What is my key word? How am I going to live out that consecration and renew it as I go?” For Sr. April herself, the word is “dependence”, a concept that was at the heart of many of the personal stories she shared.
Voices from the Gap Year: “I’m Going to Hold Your Hand”
Mass followed Sr. April’s talk. The atmosphere after Mass shifted from solemn prayer to joyful celebration with a special brunch in a festively decorated dining hall. After brunch, I chatted with several of our Gap Year students to see how the “33 Day” journey had landed in their hearts.
Elizabeth Pueschel saw the “33 Days” book as a practical tool. The readings prepared her to face the reality of spiritual life which isn’t a straight line. Elizabeth found comfort in the idea of consecration as a partnership for the long haul.
“The whole journey up to consecration made me realize that consecration day is not a one-and-done thing. It was great preparation, not only for the consecration, but also for life after the consecration. It gave lots of foresight for how I want to respond when I encounter challenges in life – to offer it back to Mary. The consecration is basically me saying, ‘Yes, I’m going to hold your hand, and now we’re actually going to walk down a road together.’”
It’s not about having a perfect map; it’s about having the right companion.
Mikayla Klover, Daniel Côté and Gabriel Lazar shared a discussion on the communal aspects of the consecrations and solemnity. In an age of individualism, doing something this significant together made an impression.
“Doing the consecration as a group was cool, instead of just doing it by ourselves. The entire experience together, the atmosphere, and the community unity stood out. The rest of the parish was also invited, which was lovely to witness and participate in. The Schola did the music, which was beautiful. We’re so blessed to have so many good voices,” Mikayla shared.
Daniel noted how the men’s community banded together during the 33 day preparation to support each other through: “Doing it together was so much fun. It made it a lot easier for all of us to do it, because we could encourage each other. If someone was falling asleep, someone would be there to gently smack him in the back of the head, wake him up again, and keep going.”
Gabriel’s family had consecrated themselves to Mary in the past, but this time for him was different. “Because we did it as a family, I was mostly just passively listening. In all honesty, I did fall asleep a few times each year. Reading it this year [for myself] helped me understand it better.”
Finally, Olivia Wilson shared a vulnerable testimony from her “33 Days” program experience. She admitted that trusting God directly can sometimes feel overwhelming, but also noted that Mary offers a gentle, accessible way to approach the Divine. In response to Sr. April’s challenge to find a specific word, Olivia shared her choice:
“The word was Surrender. That word comes to my mind when I think of Jesus and constantly trying to surrender myself and everything to Him, especially while struggling with trust in the Lord. I asked myself a question the other day because I was really struggling with my trust in God, thinking, ‘Hey, today, I just don’t trust God at all.’ A little voice in my head asked, ‘But do you trust Mary?’ and I realized, ‘Yes, I think I do trust Mary, actually.’”
This realization changed Olivia’s prayer life, giving her new confidence to approach the Lord.
“So, even if God seems daunting to me, His mother seems less daunting. I can always go to her with my worries, and she’ll still bring those to her Son and to God. Whenever I imagine myself bringing something to God, I now imagine holding Mary’s hand and approaching God. She’s there to comfort me and essentially says, ‘You’ve got this! You can just go up to him and tell him about it.’”
Walking Forward in Morning Glory
As the sun set on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the feeling on campus was one blessedness. Whether living a “Joyful” mystery of laughter in community or a “Sorrowful” mystery of personal struggle, these Gap Year participants all share a new confidence: they do not walk alone. They have consecrated their lives to a Mother who makes all things possible through grace. They walk with their hands in hers. She will not let go until they reach that full glory shared by all the saints.
James Riley has been on the St.Therese Institute mission staff since before anyone else here can remember, and he has done a little of everything in his time! He currently serves as the Deputy of Operations.