Planning for the 2026 Sacred Heart Procession in Wandsworth has begun.
The procession will take place on Friday 12th June which is the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It will commence at 8.00pm after the 7.00pm Mass at St. Mary Magdalen Roman Catholic Church.
Refreshments will follow the procession.
Here is a Save the Date flyer which you can download, distribute and/or post in your parishes and in other places you think appropriate.
We will provide updates as planning continues.
The inaugural procession for the Sacred Heart took place in Wandsworth, in the Archdiocese of Southwark, on Saturday 14th June. It was a beautiful, sunny, warm Spring day.
After attending Mass which began at 10.30am, over 60 faithful, including clergy, processed from St. Mary Magdalen Church to Wandsworth’s Town Hall. Hymns were sung and at the Town Hall, the Epistle from the Feast of the Sacred Heart was read, the borough was consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and a prayer written to the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Pope Pius IX was prayed by all. After this time of reflection, the procession went around the Town Hall and then returned to the Church were refreshments were served.
June – the Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The inaugural procession for the Sacred Heart took place in Wandsworth, in the Archdiocese of Southwark, on Saturday 14th June. It was a beautiful, sunny, warm summer’s day.
As we have said: We are Christians who worship locally and wish to align ourselves with the ancient and venerable traditions of public processions and flying the Flag of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. As Wandsworth Council fly other flags in June, we requested twice last year that they also fly the Sacred Heart Flag. Our requests were denied. So we decided to fly the Flag ourselves around the Town Hall, and on 14th June we did!
We rejoice that the Procession went so very well, exceeding the expectations we had in January. The numbers were far greater than we had anticipated, with many coming from outside the Parish. After attending Mass at 10.30 a.m., over 60 Faithful, but some people say at least 100, including clergy, processed from St. Mary Magdalen Church to Wandsworth’s Town Hall. Hymns were sung and at the Town Hall, the Epistle (Ephesians 3:8-12, 14-19) from the Feast of the Sacred Heart was read, the Borough was consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and we all said a prayer written to the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Pope Pius IX. After this time of prayer and reflection, the Faithful walked around the Town Hall and then returned to the Church for refreshments and socialising.
The two videos, here and here, show the procession of the Faithful, flags, and balloons. Canon Edwards surprised some of us with the quality and enthusiasm of his singing! These Photos also convey the joyous atmosphere of the day.
We handed out leaflets that provided information about the reason for the procession to onlookers and passersby. We witnessed to the Wandsworth community with information, song, the Word, beautiful visual displays, and a community united in the love of Jesus.
The Wandsworth Borough has now been Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus! We believe good can come from this outward expression of a deep inward spiritual reality: that of the unfathomable love Jesus has for each of us in attendance and everyone in the Borough.
People have already asked us about the date of the next Procession! We are working on this. If you wish to be notified, please Contact us.
This is the long version of the video of the procession.
If you have not seen our first Report please see the update dated 12th April 2025.
Procession date 14th June 2025 at 11.30am from St. Mary Magdalen Parish, East Hill, Wandsworth.
We have ordered the big flag for the procession. This was a special order so we can get the colour and size just right. A few smaller flags have also been purchased but please bring your own too!
The Met Police have replied to our application with general approval and helpful advice. One is a questioning our plans for a few of our members to be willing to wear high visibility garments and help with road safety. (Does anyone have any high viz vests to spare for this occasion?) If you would like to help in this capacity, please let me know and I will send a short PDF provided by the Met to help prepare.
One interesting sentence from the Met is that they will pass our ‘details on to our anti-terror advisors, who may contact you at a later date.’ So we are well and truly covered!
We have also informed Wandsworth Council.
We have just noticed that our Procession will occur during the ‘Wandsworth Arts Fringe’ and ‘Wandsworth Heritage Festival’. The evangelical outreach possibilities are a God-send!
If you do not live in the Wandsworth Borough, you are still most welcome to join us on the 14th.
Dear Friends
Here is a progress report about the 14 June procession to fly the Flag of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Procession Team
If anyone would like to share and advertise about the Sacred Heart Procession in their newsletters, please do so, using the following.
Notice for Parish newsletter
Catholics celebrate, and encourage devotion to, the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the month of June. The actual feast day this year is 27th June. The Christian tradition of flying the Flag of the Sacred Heart of Jesus goes back many centuries. Catholics at St Mary Magdalen Catholic Church, East Hill, near the Wandsworth Town Hall, have twice requested that the Council mark the month of June by flying the Flag. These requests were refused. This year a group of Christians will fly the Flag themselves and process around the Town Hall on 14 June. We invite you to join us! More details available at http://SacredHeart24.uk
Sacred Heart 24 