June is Sacred Heart of Jesus Month

The month of June is known as the month of the Sacred Heart because the solemnity of the Sacred Heart is celebrated this month. A solemnity is the highest-ranking feast in the liturgical calendar, although not a holy day of obligation. This year, the solemnity falls on June 16. The date changes each year because it is celebrated on the Friday after the Corpus Christi octave, or the Friday after the second Sunday after Pentecost.

The feast dates back to 1673 when Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque began to receive visions about the Sacred Heart. Jesus appeared to the French nun and revealed ways to venerate his Sacred Heart and explained the immense love he has for humanity, appearing with his heart visible outside his chest, on fire, and surrounded by a crown of thorns. In 1675, Jesus told Sister Margaret Mary to promote a feast that honored his Sacred Heart and gave her 12 promises made to all who venerate and promote the devotion of the Sacred Heart.

To read more, click here.

Photo: CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons