History of Sacred Heart Devotion

The Sacred Heart devotion in its modern form

was initiated through Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque,

a French Visitation nun.

Devotion to Christ's wounded heart has deeper

roots in medieval piety, focused on the Passion

of five wounds, with earlier figures like Saint

Gertrude the Great or Saint John Eudes

contributing.

However, the widespread Church-promoted

form traces directly to revelations

received by Margaret Mary at the Visitation

convent in Paray-le-Monial, France.

Between sixteen seventy-three and sixteen seventy-five,

Margaret Mary reported a series of visions

in which Jesus appeared to her, revealing His

Sacred Heart as a symbol of His burning love for humanity.

He complained of ingratitude and coldness from people

and asked her to spread a special devotion to make reparation.

Key requests included: receiving Holy Communion on

the First Friday of each month, observing a Holy Hour

of prayer, especially Thursday nights, in

reparation for sins, establishing a feast

honoring the Sacred Heart, to be celebrated on the Friday

after the Octave of Corpus Christi.

In June 1675,

Jesus showed her His Heart encircled by thorns and

flames, urging the feast's institution.

Her visions faced initial skepticism, but her spiritual

director, a Jesuit, supported and helped

validate them. Margaret Mary promoted the devotion

quietly from her convent through letters, conversations, and

practices until her death in 1690.

It gradually spread, especially among the Visitation

order and Jesuits.

The devotion gained official recognition over time.

The feast was approved for certain regions and extended Church-wide in

1886. In 1899, Pope

Leo XIII consecrated the world to the Sacred Heart.

It

remains a major Catholic devotion, emphasizing

Christ's

mercy

and love for humanity. Jesus chose the humble

Sacred Heart to remind us of His humility and to teach us to

love others

as He loved us. As we prepare to celebrate the feast of

the Sacred Heart of Jesus,

let

us remember to be...