An icon of the Sacred Heart of Jesus will be the centerpiece of a special Sacred Heart Holy Hour at St. Pius X Catholic Parish in Southgate on Tuesday, June 24th at 6pm. It is also available for prayer and reflection in the Church until Friday, June 27th.
The holy hour, flowing from the jubilee for the 350th anniversary of the apparitions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (Dec. 27, 2023 – Jun. 27, 2025) and inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical letter Dilexit
Nos (He Loved Us), is sponsored by Bernard P. O’Brien Council 3956 Knights of Columbus.
During the holy hour, an icon depicting the most famous image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, painted in 1767 by Pompeo Batoni and now venerated in the Church of the Gesù in Rome, will be displayed. This reproduction of the original image bears the blessing of Pope Francis and is one of more than 300 icons traveling across the world as part of the Knights of Columbus Pilgrim Icon Program.
Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly has said that as Knights bring these icons across the world to their parishes, he hopes “they will invite their families — and all families — to consecrate their homes and themselves to the Sacred Heart.” He further said that “In the heart of Christ, we see the heart of the Father. And we ask Our Lord to help us make his heart our own, so that we may see and love in others what he sees and loves in us.”
The Sacred Heart Holy Hour will include readings from Sacred Scripture and reflections from Pope Francis on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as well as the Divine Mercy Chaplet, prayers to the Sacred Heart, and time for silent prayer and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The prayer service will lead all present to grow in their love of God and devotion to his Most Sacred Heart.
Following the event, families are encouraged to enthrone the Sacred Heart in their homes by placing an image of the Sacred Heart in a place of honor. This devotion was inspired by Jesus’ promise to St. Mary Margaret Alacoque to “bless every place in which an image of [his] Heart is exposed and honored.”
The Pilgrim Icon Program has enabled more than 23 million people to honor Our Lord, Our Lady, and the saints, through 191,000 prayer services featuring different icons, such as Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Holy Family, and St. Joseph. The Sacred Heart of Jesus icon is the 20th icon venerated through the program since 1979.
Resources for the Sacred Heart Holy Hour and enthronement can be found at https://www.kofc.org/sacredheart . A YouTube video on how to do a Sacred Heart Enthronement in your own home can be found here: https://youtu.be/X2ATW2n352o?si=tW_Qp5PA3C7IV2Zj and resources can be downloaded at kofc.org/sacredheart or can be purchased at https://shopcatholicinfo.com/collections/sacred-heart-resources .
