Sacred Heart Facts for Kids

Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a special way that Catholic people show their love for Jesus. A devotion is like a special prayer or practice that helps people feel closer to God and Jesus. Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque helped make this devotion very popular. When Catholics pray to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, they are thinking about Jesus's great love for everyone. Some Anglicans (Christians who are similar to Catholics) also practice this devotion.

How the Devotion Began
- Saint Margaret Mary's Visions
How People Worship the Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart in Names
Sacred Heart Imagery
Interesting Facts
Images for kids
See also

How the Devotion Began

Long ago, early Christians like John and Paul wrote about God's love. The first ideas about the Sacred Heart of Jesus came from Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries. St. Bernard of Clairvaux was one of the first to write about it.

Over time, between the 1200s and 1500s, the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus became more popular. Groups like the Franciscans and Dominicans practiced it. But it was mostly individual Christians who felt a deep, personal connection to it.

In the 1600s, the devotion changed a bit. It became more about special prayers and exercises, rather than just personal feelings. Writers from the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) helped spread the idea. Pictures of the Sacred Heart became very common. Jesuits often put these images in their books and churches.

Saint Margaret Mary's Visions

The biggest reason the devotion is known today is because of a nun named Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690). She said she had visions of Jesus Christ. In these visions, Jesus showed her his heart and talked about his great love for people.

One important vision happened around 1675. Margaret Mary said Jesus told her, "Look at the Heart that has loved people so much... but most people don't show thanks." He asked her to help create a special day to honor his heart. This day would be a "feast of reparation," meaning a day to make up for the lack of gratitude from people. He wanted this feast to be on the Friday after the Corpus Christi celebration.

Margaret Mary told her spiritual guide, Father de la Colombière, about these visions. He believed her and helped share her story. After his death, his writings, which included Margaret Mary's accounts, were published. This book helped the devotion spread across France and England.

Even after Margaret Mary died in 1690, people continued to be interested in the devotion. It spread to many religious communities. In 1720, during a terrible plague in Marseille, the city officially honored the Sacred Heart. This helped the devotion become even more popular with everyday people.

Finally, in 1856, Pope Pius IX made the Feast of the Sacred Heart a special day for the entire Catholic Church. Later, in 1889, it became an even more important feast day. More recently, in 2006, Pope Benedict XVI also spoke about how important the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus still is.

How People Worship the Sacred Heart

Catholics show their devotion to the Sacred Heart in several ways. They might say special prayers, sing hymns, or use the Litany of the Sacred Heart.

The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a holy day in the Catholic calendar. It is always celebrated on a Friday, 19 days after Pentecost.

Another practice is called the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart. This is a ceremony where a family or household dedicates themselves to the Sacred Heart. A blessed picture or statue of the Sacred Heart is placed in the home. This reminds everyone in the house of their promise to live with love for Jesus.

Sacred Heart in Names

Many Catholic places are named after the Sacred Heart. These include schools, colleges, hospitals, and churches all around the world.

Sacred Heart Imagery

Pictures and statues of the Sacred Heart are often found in Catholic homes. These images sometimes show Jesus pointing to his heart, which is usually shown with flames, a crown of thorns, and a cross. This imagery represents his burning love, his suffering, and his sacrifice.

Sometimes, these images are placed next to pictures of the Virgin Mary pointing to her Immaculate Heart. This shows the deep connection between Jesus and his mother.

Interesting Facts

In the 1800s and 1900s, some soldiers in Spain wore small badges or amulets with the image of the Sacred Heart. They believed these would protect them from harm in battle.

Images for kids

True Bodily and Spiritual Enlightenment of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (picture in the Church of Saint-Gervais-et-Saint-Protais, Paris, France)
Catholic holy card depicting the Sacred Heart of Jesus, circa 1880. Auguste Martin collection, University of Dayton Libraries
Sacred Heart at the centre of a rose window, Santa Ifigênia Church, São Paulo, Brazil
Mystic Ecstasy of St. Gertrude the Great – worshipper of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ God (picture by Pietro Liberi, at the Abbey of Santa Giustina, Padua, Italy)
Painting representing the apparitions of the Sacred Heart to Margaret Mary Alacoque.
Devotion picture of the Sacred Heart being adored by Margaret Mary Alacoque and Mary of the Divine Heart
Painting representing the vision received by Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart. Jesus had revealed to her: "By the brightness of this light, peoples and nations will be illumined, and they will be warmed by its ardour."
Jesus embracing all
Stained-glass window with the Sacred Heart of Jesus in a parish church in Southern Germany
John Eudes defended the mystical unity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Sacred Heart patch of the French Catholic and Royal Army
The Carillon-Sacré-Coeur: flag waved by French Canadian Catholics until the 1950s.
Sister Mary of the Divine Heart was the messenger of Jesus Christ to the request of the consecration of the world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus made by Pope Leo XIII.
Model of the Scapular of the Sacred Heart revealed by the Virgin Mary to Estelle Faguette in Pellevoisin.
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Paray-le-Monial, France.
The Estrela Basilica situated in Lisbon, Portugal, was the first church in the world dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Paris, France.
The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Ermesinde, Portugal.
Flags of the Sacred Heart in the Heiho Niten Ichi Ryu Memorial.
The Sanctuary of Christ the King in Almada, Portugal, a monument dedicated to the Sacred Heart.
Sacred Heart statue in St. Catherine of Siena Church, Trumbull CT