Montfort’s direction for this phase
228. During the first week, they shall employ all their prayers and acts of piety in asking for knowledge of themselves and contrition for their sins, and they shall do everything in a spirit of humility. For this, they may, if they wish, meditate on what I have said of our evil depths, and regard themselves, during the six days of this week, only as snails, slugs, toads, swine, serpents, and goats; or else on these three sayings of Saint Bernard: Cogita quid fueris, semen putridum; quid sis vas stercorum; quid futurus sis, esca verminum [Consider what you were — putrid seed; what you are — a vessel of dung; what you will be — the food of worms]. They shall pray to Our Lord and his Holy Spirit to enlighten them, in these words: Domine, ut videam [Lord, that I may see]; or Noverim me [May I know myself]; or Veni, Sancte Spiritus [Come, Holy Spirit]; and they shall say every day the Litany of the Holy Spirit and the prayer that follows it, given in the first part of this work. They shall have recourse to the Most Blessed Virgin and shall ask her for this great grace, which must be the foundation of the others; and for this they shall say every day the Ave maris Stella and her litany.
St. Louis de Montfort, True Devotion to Mary §228. Our complete English edition.
True Devotion to Mary, paragraphs 96–98
This optional reading accompanies the phase; Montfort’s preparation instructions above remain the guide.
96. Exterior devotees are persons who make all devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin consist in exterior practices; who relish only the exterior of devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin, because they have no interior spirit; who will say a great many chaplets in haste, hear several Masses without attention, go to processions without devotion, enroll in all her confraternities without amending their lives, without doing violence to their passions, and without imitating the virtues of this most holy Virgin. They love only the sensible part of devotion, without relishing what is solid in it; if they have no sensible feelings in their practices, they believe they are no longer doing anything; they become unsettled, they drop everything then and there, or they do everything by fits and starts. The world is full of these sorts of exterior devotees, and there are no people more critical of persons of prayer who apply themselves to the interior as to what is essential, without despising the exterior modesty which always accompanies true devotion.
4. Presumptuous devotees.
97. Presumptuous devotees are sinners abandoned to their passions, or lovers of the world, who, under the fair name of Christian and of devotee of the Blessed Virgin, hide pride, or avarice, or impurity, or drunkenness, or anger, or swearing, or slander, or injustice, etc.; who sleep in peace in their bad habits, without doing much violence to themselves to correct themselves, under the pretext that they are devout to the Virgin; who promise themselves that God will pardon them, that they will not die without confession, and that they will not be damned, because they say their chaplet, because they fast on Saturday, because they belong to the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary or of the Scapular, or to her congregations, because they wear the little habit or the little chain of the Blessed Virgin, etc. When they are told that their devotion is only an illusion of the devil and a pernicious presumption capable of destroying them, they will not believe it; they say that God is good and merciful; that he did not make us in order to damn us; that there is no man who does not sin; that they will not die without confession; that a good peccavi [I have sinned] at death suffices; moreover, that they are devout to the Blessed Virgin; that they wear the scapular; that every day, without fail and without vanity, they say seven Pater and seven Ave in her honor; that they even say sometimes the chaplet and the Office of the Blessed Virgin; that they fast, etc. To confirm what they say and to blind themselves further, they bring up certain stories they have heard or read in books — true or false, it matters not — which bear witness that persons who died in mortal sin, without confession, because during their life they had said some prayers or performed some practices of devotion to the Blessed Virgin, were either raised from the dead in order to make their confession, or their soul miraculously remained in their body until confession, or, by the mercy of the Blessed Virgin, obtained from God at their death contrition and the pardon of their sins, and were thereby saved; and so they hope for the same thing.
98. Nothing in Christianity is so damnable as this diabolical presumption; for can one say with truth that he loves and honors the Blessed Virgin when, by his sins, he pitilessly pricks, pierces, crucifies, and outrages Jesus Christ her Son? If Mary made it a law for herself to save these sorts of people by her mercy, she would be authorizing crime, she would be helping to crucify and outrage her Son; who would ever dare to think it?
St. Louis de Montfort, True Devotion to Mary §§96–98. Our complete English edition.
The prayers for this phase
Days 13–19: ask for knowledge of yourself and true contrition, doing all in humility. Montfort appoints the Litany of the Holy Spirit with its following prayer, the Ave Maris Stella, and the Litany of Our Lady each day. Bring your sins to the light of Christ, and ask His Mother to obtain the grace of a sincere conversion.
The Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Traditional Catholic prayer.
Litany of the Holy Spirit
Lord, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Spirit, Thou Spirit of wisdom and understanding, have mercy on us.
Spirit of counsel and fortitude, have mercy on us.
Spirit of knowledge and piety, have mercy on us.
Spirit of faith and hope, have mercy on us.
Spirit of holy fear and love, have mercy on us.
Spirit of peace and joy, have mercy on us.
Spirit of patience, longanimity, and goodness, have mercy on us.
Spirit of continency and chastity, have mercy on us.
Spirit of humility and mortification, have mercy on us.
Spirit of life and salvation, have mercy on us.
Spirit of all virtues and graces, have mercy on us.
Spirit of the children of God, have mercy on us.
Teacher and Governor of the Catholic Church, have mercy on us.
Searcher of human hearts, have mercy on us.
Consoler of the afflicted, have mercy on us.
Strength of pious souls, have mercy on us.
Crown of all saints, have mercy on us.
Joy of the angels, have mercy on us.
Light of the patriarchs, have mercy on us.
Inspirer of the prophets, have mercy on us.
Wisdom of the apostles, have mercy on us.
Victory of martyrs and confessors, have mercy on us.
Purity of virgins, have mercy on us.
Be merciful: spare us, O Holy Spirit.
Be merciful: graciously hear us, O Holy Spirit.
From the spirit of heresy, deliver us, O Holy Spirit.
From the spirit of blasphemy, deliver us, O Holy Spirit.
From all sin and temptation, deliver us, O Holy Spirit.
From impugning the known truth, deliver us, O Holy Spirit.
From presumption of God’s mercy, deliver us, O Holy Spirit.
From despair, deliver us, O Holy Spirit.
From envy, malice, and ill-will, deliver us, O Holy Spirit.
From obstinacy in sin, deliver us, O Holy Spirit.
From all sloth and indifference in the service of God, deliver us, O Holy Spirit.
From all bad and impure thoughts and desires, deliver us, O Holy Spirit.
From a sudden and unprovided death, deliver us, O Holy Spirit.
From everlasting death, deliver us, O Holy Spirit.
We sinners, we beseech Thee to hear us.
That Thou wouldst exalt the Catholic Church, enlighten her pastors, and sanctify her members, we beseech Thee to hear us.
That Thou wouldst grant us the grace never to offend Thee, we beseech Thee to hear us.
That Thou wouldst increase in us devotion and resignation to the will of God, we beseech Thee to hear us.
That Thou wouldst infuse in us zeal, meekness, and love, we beseech Thee to hear us.
That Thou wouldst sanctify all our thoughts, words, and actions, we beseech Thee to hear us.
That Thou wouldst cleanse our hearts and make them Thy dwelling, we beseech Thee to hear us.
That Thou wouldst preserve our body and soul, as Thy temple, from all stain, we beseech Thee to hear us.
That Thou wouldst confirm us in Thy grace, we beseech Thee to hear us.
That Thou wouldst enlighten the erring and bring them back to the true fold, we beseech Thee to hear us.
That Thou wouldst take us all into the company of the elect, we beseech Thee to hear us.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, O Lord.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
Manual of Adoration (1897); English text with limited wording updates.
Prayer after the Litany of the Holy Spirit
Let us pray.
We beseech Thee, O Holy Spirit, descend with Thy light and consolation lovingly into our souls, enlighten our understanding, and consecrate the hearts which Thou hast sanctified as Thy temples. O Holy Spirit, come and bring us God’s blessing and peace; console us and all the afflicted, encourage and strengthen the weak; instruct and support the wavering; rouse the sinners to penance, and enkindle in their cold hearts the fire of divine love and a filial confidence in Thee, that all men, in peace and joy, may thankfully praise and adore Thee, together with the Father and the Son, one God, world without end. Amen.
Manual of Adoration (1897); prayer following the litany.
Ave Maris Stella · Hail, Star of the Sea
Hail, Star of the Sea, loving Mother of God, and ever Virgin, blessed gate of heaven.
Receiving that Ave from Gabriel’s mouth, establish us in peace, reversing the name of Eve.
Loosen the bonds of the guilty; bring light to the blind; drive away our evils; ask for us every good.
Show thyself a mother: through thee may He receive our prayers who, born for us, willed to be thy Son.
Virgin without equal, meek above all others, make us, freed from sin, meek and chaste.
Grant us a pure life; prepare a safe journey, that, seeing Jesus, we may rejoice together for ever.
Praise be to God the Father, glory to Christ Most High, and to the Holy Spirit: one honor to the Three. Amen.
Traditional Latin hymn; English rendering for The Marian Way.
Litany of Loreto
Lord, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, pray for us.
Holy Virgin of Virgins, pray for us.
Mother of Christ, pray for us.
Mother of divine grace, pray for us.
Mother most pure, pray for us.
Mother most chaste, pray for us.
Mother inviolate, pray for us.
Mother undefiled, pray for us.
Mother most amiable, pray for us.
Mother most admirable, pray for us.
Mother of our Creator, pray for us.
Mother of our Saviour, pray for us.
Virgin most prudent, pray for us.
Virgin most venerable, pray for us.
Virgin most renowned, pray for us.
Virgin most powerful, pray for us.
Virgin most merciful, pray for us.
Virgin most faithful, pray for us.
Mirror of justice, pray for us.
Seat of wisdom, pray for us.
Cause of our joy, pray for us.
Spiritual vessel, pray for us.
Vessel of honor, pray for us.
Singular vessel of devotion, pray for us.
Mystical rose, pray for us.
Tower of David, pray for us.
Tower of ivory, pray for us.
House of gold, pray for us.
Ark of the covenant, pray for us.
Gate of Heaven, pray for us.
Morning star, pray for us.
Health of the sick, pray for us.
Refuge of sinners, pray for us.
Comforter of the afflicted, pray for us.
Help of Christians, pray for us.
Queen of angels, pray for us.
Queen of patriarchs, pray for us.
Queen of prophets, pray for us.
Queen of apostles, pray for us.
Queen of martyrs, pray for us.
Queen of confessors, pray for us.
Queen of virgins, pray for us.
Queen of all saints, pray for us.
Queen conceived without original sin, pray for us.
Queen of the most holy Rosary, pray for us.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, O Lord.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God! despise not our petitions in our necessities; but deliver us always from all dangers, O ever glorious and blessed Virgin!
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord! thy grace into our hearts; that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ, thy Son, was made known by the message of an Angel, may, by his passion and cross, be brought to the glory of the resurrection. Through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Traditional Litany of the Blessed Virgin · Manual of Adoration (1897), pp. 388–390.
Close in prayer.
AH my blessed Mother, not one sword only then, but as many swords as have been my sins have I added to your Heart. Ah Lady, no — not to you, who are innocent, but to me, guilty of so many crimes, are the punishments due. But since you have willed to suffer so much for me, ah, by your merits obtain for me a great sorrow for my sins, and patience in bearing the troubles of this life, which will always be light compared with what I deserve, since so many times I have deserved Hell. Amen.
St. Alphonsus de Liguori · The Glories of Mary · The First Sorrow, prayerPrayer sources and translation notes
Days 13–19: ask for knowledge of yourself and true contrition, doing all in humility. Montfort appoints the Litany of the Holy Spirit with its following prayer, the Ave Maris Stella, and the Litany of Our Lady each day. Bring your sins to the light of Christ, and ask His Mother to obtain the grace of a sincere conversion. Read Montfort’s direction.
The Sign of the Cross
Traditional formula; Holy Spirit matches the site’s prayer register.
Ave Maris Stella · Hail, Star of the Sea
Traditional Latin hymn; fresh English rendering for The Marian Way. All seven stanzas are included; Ave and Eva retain the hymn’s contrast between Mary’s welcome and Eve’s disobedience.
Litany of the Holy Spirit
Complete historical English text from Manual of Adoration (1897), pages 235–238. “Holy Ghost” is rendered “Holy Spirit”; capitalization, punctuation, and the spelling of counsel are regularized, and printed response abbreviations are expanded.
Prayer after the Litany of the Holy Spirit
Complete prayer printed immediately after this litany in Manual of Adoration (1897), pages 238–239, with the same limited spelling and register changes.
Litany of Loreto
Historical English Litany of the Blessed Virgin from Manual of Adoration (1897), pp. 388–390, with all 46 Marian invocations, its antiphon, versicle, and concluding prayer. Repeated responses and abbreviated Lamb of God petitions are written out; punctuation is normalized. This dated form is not presented as Montfort’s own surviving litany text.
An optional memory aid saved on this device. You may read any day at any time.
The preparation follows St. Louis de Montfort’s directions in True Devotion to Mary §§227–233. The readings are his words in our English translation. Their day-by-day selection and the first twelve days’ prayer selection are this companion’s arrangement; Montfort does not assign a separate reading for each day.