consecratie

Consecration, or consecratie in some languages, is the act of declaring something sacred or setting it apart for divine service or a holy purpose. It implies a transition from ordinary to sanctified status and is usually accompanied by ritual acts, prayers, and a formal intention to dedicate the object, person, or place to a sacred use.

In many religious traditions, consecration can involve persons, places, and things. It may describe the ordination of clergy, the dedication of churches, altars, and sacred vessels, or the consecration of hosts in the Eucharist. The act is often distinct from blessings or secular dedicatory ceremonies, signaling a more absolute or permanently sacred dedication. Consecration rites may be required for opening a temple or re-dedicating a sacred space after renovation or desecration.

Christian traditions commonly describe consecration as a divine act performed by designated ministers, such as bishops or priests. In Catholicism, the Eucharist is believed to be consecrated during Mass, and churches and altars are consecrated through separate rites. Orthodox and Anglican churches also practice consecration for buildings, vessels, and clergy. Hinduism and Buddhism likewise employ temple and statue consecration rites to invite divine presence and to sanctify spaces for worship.

Secular usage sometimes adopts the term metaphorically, referring to the dedication of a project, a public space, or a life to a cause or memory. Etymology traces consecration to Latin consecratio, from consecrare, meaning to make sacred, with roots in the concept of sacrum or sacred.