Apparition of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque of the Sacred Heart of Jesus / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Chicago, Ill., Jun 10, 2023 / 07:00 am (CNA).
The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a devotion that began in the 12th century and became more popular after Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 1670s, revealing to her the image of his Sacred Heart.
The solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is a moveable feast, meaning the exact date changes each year. This year, the solemnity falls on June 16.
How is the date determined?
In 1675, Jesus told St. Margaret Mary that he wanted the feast of the Sacred Heart to be celebrated on the Friday after the Corpus Christi octave. In 1856, the feast of the Sacred Heart became a universal feast.
St. John Paul II, who was deeply devoted to the Sacred Heart, said: “This feast reminds us of the mystery of the love of God for the people of all times.”
Many Catholics desire to take the opportunity this month to publicly and joyfully share their devotion to Jesus’ Sacred Heart.
Here are five meaningful ways to celebrate a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in June.
1. Display a Sacred Heart flag or image.
On Twitter, users have been sharing images of Sacred Heart flags to mark this month. An image of Jesus’ Most Sacred Heart can be shared on social media networks.
One Twitter user, Sachin Jose, wrote: “I am just suggesting an idea to all Catholics on Twitter. Can we display this [the Sacred Heart of Jesus flag] outside our homes this month. If you are ready, please comment yes.”
Whether posted on social media or not, flags can be ordered and hung outside homes or businesses.
2. Enthrone the Sacred Heart in homes and schools.
There is a growing revival of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Many Catholics are enthroning an image of the Sacred Heart in their homes, parishes, schools, and workplaces. This enthronement is a way of making visible a consecration to the Sacred Heart and is a powerful reminder of God’s presence in every moment.
Helpful how-to and other resources are available at the Sacred Heart Enthronement Network, which was established to help those who want to live out and actively promote devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Those who enthrone the Sacred Heart can register the enthronement at that network to join the Sacred Heart Revival, which is described as a 2023 campaign to “fan the flames of love for the Sacred Heart and spread the devotion far and wide so that He may once again reign from pole to pole in our hearts and in our homes.”
The steps to follow for enthronement of the Sacred Heart can be found here.
3. Pray to the Sacred Heart.
Catholics pray in a special way this month for Christ’s love and truth to spread throughout the world so that someday, all the world will honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
While appropriately prayed in the nine days leading up to the solemnity of the Sacred Heart on June 16, the novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus can be prayed at any time in June.
Many other prayers to the Sacred Heart are particularly meaningful this month. There are a number of beloved aspirations that can be said throughout the day to connect quickly with Christ:
“Sacred Heart of Jesus, make my heart like yours.”
“Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in you.”
“Sacred Heart of Jesus, I believe in your love for me.”
“Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, grant that I may love you more and more.”
“Sacred Heart of Jesus, protect my family and have mercy on us.”
4. Seek out the Sacred Heart.
A special visit or pilgrimage to a parish or chapel dedicated to the Sacred Heart is fitting this month. If there is a statue or image of the Sacred Heart at a church near you, bring flowers to lay before it, or bring loved ones there for prayer.
5. Share the love of Christ’s Sacred Heart.
Devotion to Jesus’ Sacred Heart is a celebration of the reign of Christ’s infinite love. Sharing the love of Christ this month might include doing acts of kindness for friends or family members, spending extra time in prayer, or helping someone in need. Visiting Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament seems especially appropriate this month.
The devotion to the Sacred Heart can be shared with loved ones and friends, including grandchildren and students. Some families may use a Holy Hearts pop-it or Sacred Heart coloring pages as fun and engaging entry points to explain why this month is dedicated to honoring Christ’s Sacred Heart and the mystery of his love.
There are a number of books about the Sacred Heart perfect for reading and sharing this month, such as “Holy Habits from the Sacred Heart” and “Behold This Heart.” Children will enjoy reading about St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, who promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart, in this special biography for children.
If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!
Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.
Bishop Christopher J. Coyne of Burlington, VT. Courtesy photograph. / null
Vatican City, Jun 26, 2023 / 04:40 am (CNA).
Pope Francis appointed Bishop Christopher Coyne as a coadjutor archbishop of Hartford on Monday.As coadjutor, Coyne will ass… […]
The Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition cover the altar, just dedicated by the cardinal. The covering of the altar signifies that it is both the place of the Eucharistic sacrifice and the Lord’s table. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Jerusalem, Sep 12, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).
On Aug. 31, exactly 100 years after its dedication, the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant was reopened for worship on the hill of Kiryat Yearim, nine miles from Jerusalem.
The church, which was closed for four years for restoration work, stands atop the hill overlooking the (Muslim) village of Abu Gosh. From the top, visitors can see Jerusalem.
A view from the hill of Kiryat Yearim, where the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant stands. At the foot of the hill lies the Muslim village of Abu Gosh, with Jerusalem visible in the background, a little more than nine miles away. The place, mentioned in the Bible as “Kiriath-Jearim,” held an important role in the history of the Jewish people, as it was here that the Ark of the Covenant rested for about 20 years until King David brought it to Jerusalem. Credit: Marinella Bandini
The place, mentioned in the Bible as “Kiriath-Jearim,” has held an important role in the history of the Jewish people as it was here that the Ark of the Covenant rested after being recovered from the Philistines (see 1 Samuel 6).
The ark contained the two stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments — God’s covenant with the Jewish people — were inscribed and was the sign of God’s presence among his people.
According to the Bible, it was hosted in the house of Abinadab, where it remained for about 20 years (see 1 Samuel 7:1-2) until King David brought it to Jerusalem.
For this reason, even today, the site is visited by many groups of Jews.
A Byzantine basilica was built on the top hill around the fifth century. The current church, the foundation stone of which was laid in 1920, stands on the remains of that building. It was consecrated in 1924 by the then-Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Luigi Barlassina, and dedicated to Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant.
The Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant in Kiryat Yearim (exterior). The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, whom Christians also honor with the title of “Ark of the Covenant.” “The covenant of God with his people finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who is no longer just the sign of God’s presence but God himself among us. Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant because she carried Christ himself in her womb,” said Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, in his homily. Credit: Marinella Bandini
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the current Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, recently came to the basilica to dedicate its new altar on the occasion of the reopening of the church.
“This reopening is a moment of trust in the future, a desire to start anew, and this is what we need most at this time, when everything around us speaks of death and endings,” he told CNA after the celebration on Aug. 31.
The opening of the doors of the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant in Kiryat Yearim on Aug. 31, 2024, for the solemn celebration with the rite of dedication of the altar, presided over by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem. Credit: Photo courtesy of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
“Climbing this mountain, blessed by the presence of the Lord,” he added, “invites us to have a broad and farsighted perspective on events and not to close ourselves off in the dramatic present moment.”
Hosting the event were the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition, a French congregation founded in 1832 by Mother Emilie De Vialar, which owns and operates the church and surrounding property.
The complete details of how the land came to be acquired by the sisters are lost to history, but it centers on one of the order’s sisters who died in 1927. Sister Josephine Rumèbe, who is buried in the church, was reportedly endowed with special mystical gifts and managed to acquire the land on behalf of the sisters. The story goes that she had 5,000 francs at her disposal and sought the help of a clergyman for the purchase. To prevent a competing buyer from acquiring it, the cleric secured the entire hill for 20,372 francs. Miraculously, when Sister Josephine counted the gold coins hidden in her room, the amount matched exactly what she needed.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, pours the chrism oil on the new altar of the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant in Kiryat Yearim. On Aug. 31, 2024, he presided over the solemn Mass with the rite of dedication of the altar, marking the reopening of the church after four years of restoration and maintenance work. Credit: Marinella Bandini
The dedication of the new altar in the basilica took place after the recitation of the creed and chanting of the litanies. The cardinal placed relics in the altar, including that of Mother Emilie De Vialar, who was canonized a saint in 1951. This was followed by the anointing of the altar with chrism oil, the incensing of the altar, the covering of the altar, and the lighting of the altar.
The relics placed inside the new altar of the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant in Kiryat Yearim, which was dedicated by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, on Aug. 31, 2024. Among the relics are those of Mother Emilie De Vialar, founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition, the order who owns the church and surrounding property. Credit: Marinella Bandini
“The covenant of God with his people finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who is no longer just the sign of God’s presence but God himself among us. Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant because she carried Christ himself in her womb,” said the cardinal in his homily, inviting the faithful, following the example of the Virgin Mary, to renew their trust in God as the Lord of history and active within history.
Upon entering the church — whose iconographic elements were created by artists from the Ave Center of the Focolare Movement — the eye is drawn to the golden flame emanating from the center of the apse.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, celebrates the Eucharistic liturgy on the altar he dedicated in the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant in Kiryat Yearim on Aug. 31, 2024. Credit: Marinella Bandini
A special decoration that, on one hand, evokes the biblical significance of fire, symbolizing the presence of God, and on the other, is connected to the history of this place and particularly to Sister Josephine’s vision of a “mountain of fire,” holds significance here.
When she was still a young postulant in France, during Eucharistic adoration, Sister Josephine had a vision of flames forming a mountain with Jesus above them instead of the host. The vision then vanished, and only 50 years later, at the time of laying the foundation stone of the church, it was revealed to her that the “mountain of fire” was indeed Kiryat Yearim, which she used to call “the Holy Mountain.”
Sister Valentina Sala, the current provincial of the congregation for the Holy Land, immediately felt a strong connection to this place. She recounted to CNA: “The first time I came here for a few weeks, a sister took me to Kiryat Yearim. I knelt at Sister Josephine’s tomb and prayed to return if that was God’s will.”
Sister Valentina Sala, the current provincial of the congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition for the Holy Land, prays at the tomb of Sister Josephine Rumèbe, founder of the convent and the church in Kiryat Yearim. “The first time I came here for a few weeks, a sister took me to Kiryat Yearim. I knelt at Sister Josephine’s tomb and prayed to return if that was God’s will,” she recounted to CNA. Credit: Marinella Bandini
On the centenary of the church’s dedication, Sister Valentina also emphasized the significance of this place for her congregation, whose charism is to serve the needs of people through works of charity.
“What is charity work? What people need today is not just health care or education; there is a hunger and thirst for God. We must be able to recognize this need, helping those who come here to listen to his voice. We need places where people can pause and rest with God,” she said.
When the construction of the church was nearly complete, Sister Josephine had a vision of the Virgin Mary, at the top of the church, facing Jerusalem with outstretched arms in a gesture of dispensing grace. A statue now stands above the church to recall that vision, facing away from those entering and directed toward Jerusalem.
“This place, which evokes the covenant, invites us to realign ourselves with God and to be under this blessing,” Sister Valentina concluded.
This is also the meaning of the words she addressed to those present — the vast majority of local faithful from Jerusalem as well as from Galilee — at the end of the Mass.
Hundreds of local faithful from Jerusalem and Galilee attend the solemn Mass with the rite of dedication of the altar, marking the reopening of the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant in Kiryat Yearim, on Aug. 31, 2024. A hundred years ago, Sister Josephine Rumèbe of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition wrote about having seen a vision of “a crowd rushing toward the basilica. I saw priests, sisters of our order, and then men and women of the world who were even more pleasing to God than all the others, holy souls shining like stars.” Credit: Marinella Bandini
“Sister Josephine had already seen you in various visions: ‘I saw a crowd rushing toward the basilica. I saw priests, sisters of our order, and then men and women of the world who were even more pleasing to God than all the others, holy souls shining like stars.’”
She continued: “And what if we are that vision? What if we are that future? Of course, we are! From now on, you will be the ones to bring life to this hill, to this covenant between God and his people. Come, rush, stay, feel at home. There is not only a newly renovated church to see but a Presence to discover: Take the time to dwell with the Lord. What could be more beautiful… Many graces await to be dispensed from here!”
Just to mention, because of their public celebration of “Pride Month” I’ve had to unsubscribe from a local publication & stop being a customer of a what had been a really nice, old fashioned flour & baking company in Vermont. I’ve written to both to explain why.
“Pride Month” is no longer just about what adults do in private. Our children & grandchildren are being targeted. And anti Catholic bigotry is being stirred up & tolerated.
If it’s anything like the eugenics era, we’ll eventually be recognized as having been on the right side of history but meanwhile I’m going to miss those baking catalogues & flour. I guess when they took the image of the knight with a cross off their company logo it was a sign of things to come.
It is debatable whether boycotts work. These days it is impossible to boycott every organization/service that plays along with the LGBetc. agenda. Targeted boycotting – Bud, Target, MLB – sends a clearer message.
P.S. Don’t get me wrong, Mrs. Cracker. I admire your actions. I’ve heard it said that when a company gets one complaint, they figure that there are ten more who just didn’t get around to writing. So kudos to you! May your tribe increase!
I don’t drink beer or shop at Target (I signed a boycott Target petition a few yrs. ago), so as a home baker this was my best consumer effort.
🙂
I felt sad all day after writing the baking company. It was a little like losing a friend. My family has been buying from them for decades & I always looked forward to the catalogues & recipes. You’d think something wholesome like baking bread would be off limits from deviant ideologies but no… The company site even features a direct link to donate to a VT organization that targets kids. And there’s a blog from an employee that attired her 3 yr. old son in dresses. She said she knew he was that way from the day he was born. Seriously.
🙁
I think signs with the Sacred Heart saying “Celebrate Humility ” would be appropriate this month.
“Heart of Jesus, Tabernacle of the Most High, Heart of Jesus, in whom dwells the fullness of the Divinity” (Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus)
Apparently Matt Fradd (Pints with Aquinas) has a t-shirt out saying Reclaim the Month around an image of the Sacred Heart.
Just to mention, because of their public celebration of “Pride Month” I’ve had to unsubscribe from a local publication & stop being a customer of a what had been a really nice, old fashioned flour & baking company in Vermont. I’ve written to both to explain why.
“Pride Month” is no longer just about what adults do in private. Our children & grandchildren are being targeted. And anti Catholic bigotry is being stirred up & tolerated.
If it’s anything like the eugenics era, we’ll eventually be recognized as having been on the right side of history but meanwhile I’m going to miss those baking catalogues & flour. I guess when they took the image of the knight with a cross off their company logo it was a sign of things to come.
It is debatable whether boycotts work. These days it is impossible to boycott every organization/service that plays along with the LGBetc. agenda. Targeted boycotting – Bud, Target, MLB – sends a clearer message.
P.S. Don’t get me wrong, Mrs. Cracker. I admire your actions. I’ve heard it said that when a company gets one complaint, they figure that there are ten more who just didn’t get around to writing. So kudos to you! May your tribe increase!
I don’t drink beer or shop at Target (I signed a boycott Target petition a few yrs. ago), so as a home baker this was my best consumer effort.
🙂
I felt sad all day after writing the baking company. It was a little like losing a friend. My family has been buying from them for decades & I always looked forward to the catalogues & recipes. You’d think something wholesome like baking bread would be off limits from deviant ideologies but no… The company site even features a direct link to donate to a VT organization that targets kids. And there’s a blog from an employee that attired her 3 yr. old son in dresses. She said she knew he was that way from the day he was born. Seriously.
🙁
ICYMI – The Daily Signal, June 13.
Not quite the Sacred Heart but not too shabby!
Sacred Heart of Jesus – Pray for us.