Sacred Heart devotion on the rise

Devotion to the Most Sacred Heart is making a definitive comeback. This is thanks in part to groups like the Alliance of the Holy Family International (approved by Pope St. John Paul II). They encourage families to consecrate themselves to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Parishes and communities are increasingly organizing vigils of reparation to the Two Hearts.

Pope Francis in 2024 also published an encyclical, Dilexit Nos, encouraging the practice of this devotion. “We may be tempted to consider this mystery of love as an admirable relic from the past, a fine spirituality suited to other times,” he writes. “Yet we need to remind ourselves constantly that, as [St. Daniel Comboni] once said, “this divine heart, which let itself be pierced by an enemy’s lance in order to pour forth through that sacred wound the sacraments by which the Church was formed, has never ceased to love.”

Throughout the text, the Argentine pontiff speaks of the “enduring relevance” of this devotion. He particularly highlights the apostolic fruits it inspired in numerous saints up to the present day.

Clearly, after years of being largely forgotten, God is calling for this devotion once again. Further proof of this is the sudden flourishing of piety around a miraculous image in Milejczyce, Poland. This is the oldest known image of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in that country, and perhaps one of the oldest in the world. It dates back to the late 17th century. It features a unique motif: Jesus with a thorn-crowned Heart on his exposed chest, carrying a lamb on his shoulders as the Good Shepherd.

Devotion at this shrine is growing at a staggering pace, jumping from 20,000 pilgrims in 2024 to nearly 60,000 just one year later. The faithful have received numerous miracles. These include healings from cancer, the birth of a healthy baby despite a Down syndrome diagnosis, and even the resurrection of an unborn child in the mother's womb. As a seal on these graces, on June 12, 2026, the church in Milejczyce officially gained the rank of a shrine.

Another major impulse spreading devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is the story of Gabriela and Marek Rosiek. In 2018, 34-year-old Marek lay in a coma on a ventilator. Doctors gave him no chance of survival. His wife, Gabriela, was invited to pray specifically to the Heart of Jesus. Marek completely regained his health—a medically impossible recovery—and out of gratitude, he made a Badge of the Sacred Heart and offered it to the Savior.

This sparked a new custom in Stara Miłosna, near Warsaw: the solemn reception of the Badge of the Sacred Heart. Today, this tradition has spread to several parishes across Poland and even abroad. It has gained the support of numerous bishops in Poland.

When the Kingdom of France was at the peak of its power in 1673, the Savior passed on an extraordinary message to the world. He revealed his Most Sacred Heart to a humble French Visitandine nun, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, telling her what great protection one can find in it.

“My divine Heart is so inflamed with love for men that, no longer able to contain in itself the flames of its ardent charity, it must pour them out through you. It desires to enrich humanity with its precious treasures,” he told her. The First Friday devotion, among other practices, stems from these revelations.

Through St. Margaret Mary, in 1689 Jesus sent a message to the reigning king of France, Louis XIV. The Lord told him to officially consecrate the nation to the Sacred Heart and build a church in his honor. He also requested that the image of his Heart be placed on state and military banners and engraved on weapons. He promised that if they did this, he would pour generous graces upon France and defeat all her enemies. Unfortunately, the Sun King completely rejected these requests.

A hundred years after this call, one of the bloodiest anti-Catholic revolutions broke out in the country: the French Revolution. France, historically dubbed the Eldest Daughter of the Church, plunged into a bloody reign of terror. In 1793, one of the Sun King's successors, Louis XVI, fell victim to the violence. Imprisoned by revolutionaries, he eventually promised to make a solemn consecration of France to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sadly, it was too late for him to take action. He was soon guillotined.

The revelations of St. Margaret Mary are closely associated with what is known in the English-speaking world as the Badge of the Sacred Heart. In many countries, it’s referred to as a “shield” or in similar terms, reflecting its use to invoke spiritual or physical protection.

This small emblem is worn on the chest as a cloth patch, printed image, or medal, precisely as the Lord showed it to St. Margaret Mary during a vision. It serves as a symbol of entrustment to the Heart of Jesus. The early design differed slightly from the symbol we know today; the crown of thorns formed a circle entirely around the Heart rather than wrapping across it.

St. Margaret Mary began sketching the image according to her vision, placing her drawings in the oratory of the novitiate in Paray-le-Monial. When she was a novice mistress, she and her novices personally consecrated themselves to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus before this image on July 20, 1685. This was the first public act of the devotion.

She also requested the creation of small images of the Heart of Jesus, “since the Savior himself wishes that the faithful who desire to pay him homage wear such images, and that they place larger ones in their homes.” Initially, the badges, also called the Little Scapular, were distributed among friends of the Visitandine sisters.

In the 18th century, during a plague epidemic in Marseille in 1720, Blessed Anne-Madeleine Rémuzat popularized the Badge of the Sacred Heart. Through it, many people obtained an effective defense against the disease.

During the French Revolution of 1789, the Badge became a symbol of Catholic resistance to persecution. An image of the Most Sacred Heart was even found among the personal belongings of Queen Marie Antoinette. When the Reign of Terror prevailed, the image was ultimately hoisted onto banners by the peasants of the Vendée, who wore the Heart of Jesus on their flags and chests as they stood up to fight in defense of the faith and the king.

The image was also popular among Catholics during the Cristero War in Mexico in the early 20th century.

The Church officially approved this form of piety in the 19th century. In 1870, Blessed Pope Pius IX declared, “I am going to bless this Heart and want all badges made after this model to receive the same blessing, so that in the future, it will not be necessary for the blessing to be renewed by a priest.” This blessing was renewed in 1872, and in 1915 Pope Benedict XV also permitted the use of enameled badges instead of fabric ones.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus blossomed. This widespread piety was visibly reflected by the printed images of the Sacred Heart that hung in almost every Catholic home. However, the devotion seemed to experience a period of decline in the second half of the 20th century.

Today, the resurgence of devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus often begins with miracles and the gratitude of individuals and families. After receiving graces, they naturally carry this spark to their pastors and neighboring parishes.

God's gentle invitations to turn to his Heart, along with tangible miracles, remind us that God is clearly claiming this devotion once again. It is a sign that in our times, entrusting all matters of life to him is the ultimate protection. The Heart of Jesus desires to reign effectively in our daily lives!