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By Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.
The month of June is traditionally dedicated to the Sacred Heart. On June 11, 2026, as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. bishops will consecrate the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Catholic faith communities around the country are encouraged to join the bishops in celebrating the consecration of our nation to the Sacred Heart through their own prayer and acts of devotion.
The U.S. bishops have offered this prayer for the occasion of their consecrating the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus:
O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus . . .
You know the longings of our hearts, and you desire that we enjoy friendship with you.
From your pierced side, you have poured out the wellspring of life, for which we thirst.
Your heart burns with a love for all people to return to a right relationship with you.
We celebrate the abundant gifts you have given this nation, founded on the self-evident truths that our Creator has endowed all people with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
We make reparation for the offenses against you and against human dignity that have taken place in this nation.
May our hearts be united to yours, so that our families and communities enjoy peace and happiness; may broken relationships be reconciled, injustices repaired, and the wounds of our land be healed.
May your holy Catholic Church serve as a sign, pointing all people to your infinite love.
O Desire of Nations and Center of History, we ask you to bless these United States of America.
Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
The event will be livestreamed on usccb.org and other Catholic stations.
At his May 28, 2025 General Audience, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV urged, “Let us turn to the Sacred Heart, model of true humanity, and ask him to make our heart ever more like his.”
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus stands among the most profound and enduring expressions of Catholic spirituality. Rooted in Scripture and deepened through centuries of theological reflection and mystical experience, the Sacred Heart symbolizes the boundless love of Christ for humanity. It reveals the very core of Christian faith: the mystery of divine love made visible, vulnerable, and near.
In his 2024 encyclical “Dilexit Nos” (“He Loved Us”), the late Pope Francis offered a fresh and deeply pastoral meditation on this devotion, urging the Church to rediscover the transformative power of Christ’s heart in a fragmented and restless world.
Anchoring his reflection in the words of St. Paul – “He loved us” (Romans 8:37) – Pope Francis invited the faithful to contemplate the Sacred Heart not as a nostalgic or sentimental image, but as a living sign of Christ’s enduring presence and friendship. “His open heart has gone before us and waits for us,” he wrote, “unconditionally, asking only to offer us his love and friendship.”
The biblical foundation of this devotion lies especially in the Gospel of John, where the pierced side of Christ becomes a fountain of sacramental life (John 19:34). Over time, saints such as Margaret Mary Alacoque and theologians like St. John Eudes shaped this devotion into a central element of Catholic piety. The Heart of Jesus came to signify not only his physical suffering but also his emotional and spiritual love – a love fully divine and fully human.
Far from being a relic of the past, the Sacred Heart remains a living symbol of Christ’s desire to draw every person into a relationship of trust, healing, and transformation. His Heart waits for us without condition, offering mercy beyond measure.
This invitation is especially urgent in a culture marked by superficiality, consumerism, and emotional detachment. The heart – both physically and spiritually – remains essential for understanding the unity of body and soul, reason and emotion, faith and action.
In Scripture, the heart is the locus of sincerity and conversion. As the disciples on the road to Emmaus exclaimed, “Were not our hearts burning within us?” (Luke 24:32), so too does an encounter with Christ ignite an inner fire. This burning heart becomes a metaphor for the awakening that occurs when one experiences the presence of the risen Lord.
Classical philosophy and biblical anthropology affirm that the heart is not merely symbolic but the true center of human experience. It is where decisions are made, desires are shaped, and truth is discerned. Devotion to the Sacred Heart, therefore, becomes a call to interior renewal and authenticity.
Yet the Sacred Heart is not limited to personal piety. It is also a source of ecclesial and social renewal. In that Heart, all hopes may be placed, and from it, the salvation of humanity is confidently sought. The Heart of Jesus becomes the model for the Church’s mission: to love unconditionally, to serve joyfully, and to remain close to the wounds of the world.
In a time of global crises – ecological, social, ethical, and spiritual – the Sacred Heart offers a remedy for indifference and division. It is a Heart that listens, suffers, and acts. It calls each believer to become a vessel of mercy and a witness to love.
Ultimately, the Sacred Heart of Jesus is more than a devotional image; it is a theological and spiritual compass for the Church today. It invites all people to rediscover the Heart of Christ as the source of healing, unity and mission. To follow Jesus is to be drawn into the depths of his love – a love that forever beats at the heart of and for the world.