06/12/2026
Th Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
June 12
This is a movable feast that honors the Sacred Heart. In 1675, Jesus told St. Margaret Mary that He wanted the Feast of the Sacred Heart to be celebrated on the Friday after the Corpus Christi octave. In 1856, the Feast of the Sacred Heart became a universal feast.
St. John Paul II, a great devotee of the Sacred Heart, said, “This feast reminds us of the mystery of the love of God for the people of all times.”
What is the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus?
The Heart is the symbol of human love. This Catholic devotion honors the Sacred Heart of Our Lord, through which was manifested to us God’s eternal love for everyone. “God is Love” (1 John 4:8), and so in honoring the human expression of that Love, especially on the Cross, we honor Its Divine Source.
Why is the Sacred Heart important?
St. John Paul II said, “The Sacred Heart has given us everything—redemption, salvation, sanctification.”
The Sacred Heart is the actual heart of Christ and also indicates His love for humanity. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “The prayer of the Church venerates and honors the Heart of Jesus just as it invokes his most holy name. It adores the incarnate Word and his Heart which, out of love for men, he allowed to be pierced by our sins” (CCC 2669).
Why is Jesus’ Heart on fire?
Jesus told St. Margaret Mary, “My Sacred Heart is so intense in its love for men, and for you in particular, that not being able to contain within it the flames of its ardent charity, they must be transmitted through all means.”
St. Gertrude the Great said, “O Sacred Heart of Jesus, fountain of eternal life, Your Heart is a glowing furnace of Love. You are my refuge and my sanctuary. O my adorable and loving Savior, consume my heart with the burning fire with which Yours is aflame. Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Your love. Let my heart be united with Yours. Let my will be conformed to Yours in all things. May Your Will be the rule of all my desires and actions. Amen.”
What is the relationship between the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary?
The hearts of Mary and Jesus are deeply entwined. The Blessed Virgin gave her consent to the divine plan of redemption (see Luke 1:38), and Our Lord willed and accomplished it. Thus, these two Hearts can never be separated. The Servant of God Lúcia dos Santos, one of the visionaries of Fátima, expressed it this way, “[While Jesus was in Mary’s womb], the Heart of Christ was beating in unison with the Heart of Mary.”
The Feast day of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is always the day after the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Courtesy of Catechists of St. Francis Xavier
