Today is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, when we honour the love of His wounded and glorious Heart, which induced Jesus to suffer and die for our redemption.
As the G7 summit approaches June 15-17 in France, the presidents of the episcopal conferences of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, issued a joint statement.
At the 2026 World Cup, football’s global stage will again reveal an unexpectedly public Catholic witness — from Christian Pulisic and Javier Hernandez to the millions watching their example.
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The Supreme Officers, joined by fraternal leaders, Supreme Council staff members and their families, gathered in New Haven, Connecticut, on June 12 for the enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Supreme Council headquarters building. The event took place in the lobby of the Order’s international headquarters, one day after the U.S. bishops’ consecration of the country to the Sacred Heart as part of this year’s nationwide observance of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Following a Gospel reading and reflection by Dominican Father Jonathan Kalisch, director of chaplains and spiritual development, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly unveiled a framed image of the Sacred Heart and joined those assembled in an act of consecration to the Sacred Heart prepared by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The ceremony was followed by Mass at St. Mary’s Church, the birthplace of the Order, celebrating the solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Father Michael Dolan, pastor of the citywide Blessed Michael McGivney Parish, celebrated the Mass.
In remarks at the conclusion of the liturgy, Supreme Knight Kelly noted, “Our enthronement of an image of the Sacred Heart today at our headquarters building should also lead us, as an Order, back to the heart of Christ — despite our shortcomings, our limitations, and our weaknesses.”
“Let’s answer this spiritual call to action, as the collective family of the Knights of Columbus,” he added. “And let’s do the same in our own individual families. If you haven’t already, I’d encourage you to enthrone an image of the Sacred Heart in your home — and every day, let’s strive to make God’s love our own and to conform our hearts to his.”
(Photos by Mike Ross)
Reiterating that the right to religious freedom is “the cornerstone of any just society,” Pope Leo XIV praised the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty for its over 30 years of “great efforts to defend this right” in a June 11 message.
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During his visit to Barcelona, Pope Leo XIV prayed with a young man’s rosary and returned it, leaving him with a deeply personal reminder of faith and hope.
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COMMENTARY: A prayer vigil, Corpus Christi procession and a meeting with the Spanish parliament punctuated a memorable trip to Spain’s capital city.
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As the US bishops consecrate our nation to the Sacred Heart of Christ let us all embrace Him into our own hearts. His love is everlasting and He longs for us to walk His Way to the Father.
Very grateful to President Trump and the First Lady for joining the Catholic faithful and the bishops of the United States in dedicating the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
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Today. 🙏
Join Cardinal Raymond Burke for Holy Mass, the Consecration of the United States, and the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
🇺🇸 Divine Mercy Chaplet: 3:30 p.m. CT
⛪ Holy Mass: 4:00 p.m. CT
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Speaking at the Las Raíces ("The Roots") migrant reception center in the Canary Islands June 12, Pope Leo XIV encouraged migrants to remain rooted in hope and to share "the treasures" of their humanity, dreams and culture. 📸 (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
filled with infinite Love,
broken by my ingratitude,
pierced by my sins,
yet loving me still;
accept the consecration
that I make to Thee
of all that I am
and all that I have.
Take every faculty
of my soul and body
and draw me,
day by day,
nearer and nearer
to Thy Sacred Heart,
and there,
as I can understand the lesson,
teach me Thy blessed ways.
Amen.
traditionalcatholicprayers .com
The solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus falls on the Friday after the Corpus Christi octave, which in 2026 is on June 12. What exactly is the meaning behind this feast day? Below are answers to some common questions.
Why do Catholics venerate the Sacred Heart of Jesus?
“Devoting ourselves to the Sacred Heart is one of the easiest, fastest, and most pleasant ways to grow in holiness,” Father Ambrose Dobrozsi, a priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, told EWTN News.
“Many saints have done many things to grow close to Jesus Christ, but no way is more sure and more pleasing to him than to consecrate ourselves to his Sacred Heart through the Immaculate Heart of his mother,” he added.
Where does devotion to the Sacred Heart come from?
The story behind the modern iteration of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, however, begins on Dec. 27, 1673, at a monastery belonging to the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary (Visitandines) in eastern France. There, a nun named Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque began experiencing visions of the Sacred Heart. Those visions continued for 18 months. During her visions, Sister Margaret Mary learned ways to venerate the Sacred Heart of Christ.
These devotions included the concept of a Holy Hour on Thursdays, the creation of the feast of the Sacred Heart after Corpus Christi, and the reception of the Eucharist on the first Friday of every month.
As with many mystics, many people were skeptical of Sister Margaret Mary’s claims of visions. Her confessor, the then-Father Claude La Colombière, SJ, (now St. Claude La Colombière) believed her, and eventually, the mother superior of her community began to believe as well. The first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated privately at the monastery in 1686.
Sister Margaret Mary died in 1690 and was canonized by Pope Benedict XV on May 13, 1920. Initially, the Vatican was hesitant to declare a feast of the Sacred Heart but did allow the Visitandines to celebrate a Mass special to this day. As the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus spread throughout France, the Vatican granted the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to France in 1765.
In 1856, after much lobbying by French bishops on behalf of the feast of the Sacred Heart, Pope Pius IX designated the Friday following the feast of Corpus Christi as the feast of the Sacred Heart for the entire Latin-rite Church.
On May 25, 1899, Pope Leo XIII promulgated the encyclical Annum Sacrum, which consecrated the entire world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This encyclical was written after a nun, Sister Mary of the Sacred Heart, sent two letters to the pope requesting that he consecrate the world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Sister Mary of the Divine Heart wrote the letters, she said, after Jesus made the request to her. Pope Leo XIII called this encyclical and the subsequent consecration the “great act” of his papacy.
“Finally, there is one motive which we are unwilling to pass over in silence, personal to ourselves it is true, but still good and weighty, which moves us to undertake this celebration. God, the author of every good, not long ago preserved our life by curing us of a dangerous disease,” Leo XIII wrote.
“We now wish, by this increase of the honor paid to the Sacred Heart, that the memory of this great mercy should be brought prominently forward, and our gratitude be publicly acknowledged.”
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Our Lady of Akita, pray for us! The statue wept human tears 101 times and bled type AB blood, along with other supernatural changes to the statue.
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Pope Leo XIV issued an appeal to human traffickers, exploiters and criminal networks involved in the movement and abuse of vulnerable people. "Stop. Repent," he said, in a meeting with organisations working with migrants in Tenerife.
"Break those chains and free those you hold in bondage," he insisted. "Return what has been taken and make amends as much as you can. Repent while there is still time, for God’s mercy can reach even the most hardened sinner, but it enters only through the narrow gate of truth, justice and conversion"
Today, the U.S. bishops consecrated the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus during the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.