Faith

'Jesus, gentle and humble of heart . . .'

Saturday, June 6, 2026Faith

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I strongly urge our parishes, families, and all the faithful of the Archdiocese of Boston to consider joining into prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Archbishop Richard G.
Henning

Last week, I wrote concerning God's plan for the renewal of humanity. Through the Prophet Ezekiel, God promised to give His people a new heart, a heart of flesh. This prophecy found its ultimate fulfillment in the Word Made Flesh, Jesus Christ. The visions of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque drew upon this prophetic truth in her visions of the Lord's Sacred Heart, wounded for our sins and aflame with love of us. From her visions, the Church has drawn generations into the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Images of the Lord and His Sacred Heart, First Friday Devotions, litanies and consecrations all form part of this treasure house of divine love and wisdom.
Each year, on the Friday following the celebration of Corpus Christi, the Universal Church observes the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. This year, it falls on Friday, June 12. On the evening of June 11, at the annual gathering of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the bishops will consecrate the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This moment is inspired by the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of American Independence and represents a humble appeal to Almighty God for divine blessing and protection for the nation.

Nations, communities, families, and individuals may be consecrated. Consecration involves dedicating persons or objects to God and to the service of the Lord. The best illustration of this is the dedication of a chalice for use in the Divine Liturgy. The chalice is consecrated to receive, hold, and share the things that are of God. It is "set aside" for such holy use and is never used for other purposes, even if those purposes are benign. And so the chalice used at Holy Mass would never be used for holding or drinking anything other than the Blood of Christ and the wine destined to become so.
I strongly urge our parishes, families, and all the faithful of the Archdiocese of Boston to consider joining into prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The website of the Bishop's Conference has resources for the devotion. Those resources may be found here. If you are reading this in the print edition, just go to www.usccb.org. If you would like a simple way to give glory to the Lord, you will find the prayer to the Sacred Heart and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. There are also resources to consecrate parishes and schools, as well as the prayers to enthrone the image of the Sacred Heart in your home and to consecrate the home and your family to the Lord.
When the National Eucharistic Congress arrives in Boston for the "One Nation Under God Pilgrimage" (June 26-28), we will have a Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on Saturday, June 27. At that Holy Mass, we will consecrate the Archdiocese of Boston to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. That weekend will also see special events in Plymouth (June 26), on the Freedom Trail (June 27), and in Lexington (June 28). Please consider joining one or more of these events. These are opportunities to renew our faith and to invoke God's blessing upon our nation.
Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that we, who glory in the Heart of your beloved Son
and recall the wonders of his love for us,
may be made worthy to receive
an overflowing measure of grace
from that fount of heavenly gifts...

- Archbishop Richard G. Henning is the Archbishop of Boston