Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Feast of the Sacred Heart honors Christ's love for humanity, shown through his pierced heart. Shaped by the visions given to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the seventeenth century, the devotion spread from France across the Church.
A feast of the love of Christ
The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart honours the love of Christ for humanity — a love at once human and divine, shown in his pierced and burning heart.
It is a feast of the Lord: not of a single event in his life, but of the love that runs through all of them. The image gives a household one gentle thing to gather around, which is part of why it has always belonged so naturally to the home.
From a wounded side to a feast of the Church
By tradition the devotion reaches back to the blood and water that flowed from Christ's pierced side, and to the medieval mystics — St. Gertrude the Great among them — who prayed before the wound as a door into his love.
Its modern form came through the revelations to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a Visitation nun at Paray-le-Monial between 1673 and 1675, guided by her confessor St. Claude de la Colombière. From these came the image of the Heart crowned with thorns and the practice of the Nine First Fridays.
Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the universal Church in 1856. Leo XIII consecrated the human race to the Sacred Heart in 1899, Pius XII set out its meaning in the 1956 encyclical Haurietis aquas, and Pope Francis returned to it in the 2024 letter Dilexit nos.
One of the soldiers with a spear opened his side, and immediately there came out blood and water.
— John 19:34, Douay-Rheims (public domain)Learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls.
Matthew 11:29Symbols & iconography
- The flaming heartFire rising from the heart — the burning, inexhaustible love of God for each person.
- The crown of thornsThorns encircle the heart — love that holds fast through suffering and is wounded by indifference.
- The cross aboveA cross surmounts the heart — love carried all the way to the gift of his life.
- Rays of lightLight streams from the wound — the grace and mercy that pour from his open side.
Customs & traditions
Family enthronement
Place an image or statue of the Sacred Heart in a prominent spot in your home and dedicate your family to His love.
Candle lighting
Light a candle at dinner to symbolize Christ’s presence and love in your family life.
Creative expressions
Encourage children to create artwork or write letters expressing their love for Jesus and how they experience His love.
Heart-shaped treats
Bake heart-shaped cookies or other treats as a fun way to celebrate and share with neighbors or friends.
Prayer service
Gather as a family for a simple prayer service, reading Scripture passages about the Sacred Heart and offering intentions.
Reflection time
Set aside quiet moments throughout the day for each family member to reflect personally on what the Sacred Heart means to them.
Hymns & music
Prayers & readings
A movable feast
The Sacred Heart is kept on the Friday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost — the day after the octave of Corpus Christi — so its date moves each year with Easter. In 2026 that is June 12.
Frequently asked
What is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart?
It is a solemnity of the Lord honouring the love of Christ for humanity, made visible in his pierced and burning heart. It celebrates not one event in Jesus' life but the love that runs through all of them.
When is the feast of the Sacred Heart celebrated?
It is a movable feast, kept on the Friday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost — the day after the octave of Corpus Christi. In 2026 it falls on June 12.
What are the First Fridays?
A devotion of keeping Mass and Communion on the first Friday of nine consecutive months, associated with the apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, offered in reparation for love left unreturned.
How can a family celebrate it at home?
Enthrone an image of the Sacred Heart where you gather, pray the Litany together, plan to keep the First Fridays, and offer a small act of kindness in a spirit of reparation.
Pray it as a household
Bring the feast into your family’s day
Solua walks your family through the day’s prayer together — a few unhurried minutes, shaped by the season.
Pray Together