Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of June is set apart for devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. “From among all the proofs of the infinite goodness of our Savior none stands out more prominently than the fact that, as the love of the faithful grew cold, He, Divine Love Itself, gave Himself to us to be honored by a very special devotion and that the rich treasury of the Church was thrown wide open in the interests of that devotion.” These words of Pope Pius XI refer to the Sacred Heart Devotion, which in its present form dates from the revelations given to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673-75.
The devotion consists in the divine worship of the human heart of Christ, which is united to His divinity and which is a symbol of His love for us. The aim of the devotion is to make our Lord king over our hearts by prompting them to return love to Him (especially through an act of consecration by which we offer to the Heart of Jesus both ourselves and all that belongs to us) and to make reparation for our ingratitude to God.
An Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Most sweet Jesus, humbly kneeling at Thy feet, we renew the consecration of our family to Thy Divine Heart. Be Thou our King forever! In Thee we have full and entire confidence. May Thy spirit penetrate our thoughts, our desires, our words and our deeds. Bless our undertakings, share in our joys, in our trials, and in our labors. Grant us to know Thee better, to love Thee more, to serve Thee without faltering.
Prayer: O Heart of love, I put all my trust in Thee; for I fear all things from my own weakness, but I hope for all things from Thy goodness. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.
Divine Mercy Vestment from Rzeszow, Poland
On Sunday, May 22 at the 12 noon Mass St. Valentine Parish was presented with a Divine Mercy Vestment. This beautiful vestment comes all the way from Rzeszow, Poland and is a gift from Adam and Anna Kurdziel of Rzeszow who were in Redford visiting their cousins, Bob and Eleanor Bielenda. We thank the Kurdziel Family for thinking of our parish and for their most generous gift. We look forward to wearing this new vestment on Divine Mercy Sunday.
Congratulations!
At the 12 noon Mass today we are honoring those who have graduated from high school and college. We congratulate you on your accomplishments. Congratulations to the graduates of 2016!