On June 27, the Church will celebrate the 350th anniversary of the apparitions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The devotion began in 1675 in the small French town of Paray-le-Monial, where Jesus revealed His Sacred Heart to St. Marguerite Marie Alacoque. Since then, it has spread from France to the entire world. In Rome, its first international shrine dedicated to the Sacred Heart was established with the collaboration of dioceses around the globe. Jesus made several promises to those devoted to His Sacred Heart — including peace in the home, strength in trials, and help at the hour of death. Pope Leo XIII elevated the Feast of the Sacred Heart to a Solemnity and supported the construction of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Rome. In 1899, he consecrated the entire Church and humanity to the Sacred Heart — an act he called the Church’s greatest hope for the salvation of the world. EWTN Vatican Correspondent Bénédicte Cedergren has more.
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