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Sacred Heart Crusade – Ireland

“The Sacred Heart Crusade 2025 is an initiative to spread and revive devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ across Ireland – inspired by the recent Encyclical letter of the Holy Father Pope Francis, on the Sacred Heart, it also coincides with the 350th anniversary of the Sacred Heart revelations revealed by Jesus to St Margaret Mary Alacoque.

“This particular initiative began on January 8th, 2025, when Pope Francis blessed the 4 pilgrim statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus which will be sent to Ireland – each one being sent to one of the four provinces – where they will travel throughout parishes to revitalise the faith in Ireland. The ‘Crusade’ will culminate in Mass being celebrated by Archbishop Eamon Martin at the Knock Shrine June 22nd, with Ireland being consecrated to the Sacred Heart (the first time in over 150 years). With this mission – we hope that many may have a real encounter, a true “heart to heart”, with the Lord and that there will be renewed devotion to Sacred Heart.”

For more about the Sacred Heart Crusade 2025 go here https://sacredheartcrusade.ie/

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How it got started

In 2024, we wrote to Wandsworth Council enquiring whether they would be willing to fly the flag of the Sacred Heart of Jesus over the townhall since for Catholics June is the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This is the letter that was sent.

Councillor Simon Hogg
Leader of the Council
Wandsworth Council
The Members’ Room
The Town Hall
Wandsworth High Street
London
SW18 2PU
Cllr.S.Hogg@wandsworth.gov.uk


7 June 2024 (Feast of the Sacred Heart)

Dear Mr Hogg

We are a group of local Catholics from Wandsworth, and wish to make a request.

We respectfully ask that a flag representing The Sacred Heart of Jesus be flown over
the Town Hall in recognition that, for Christians, June is the month of the Sacred
Heart.

A flag will be provided by us for this purpose.

We very much look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,
Carmel Martin
Dan Martin
Tracy Gravesande

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Homily on the Sacred Heart of Jesus – 9 June 2024

Canon Martin Edwards
St Mary Magdalen’s Catholic Church
Wandsworth East Hill, London

On Friday we kept the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Here at St Mary Magdalen’s that great feast was kept in some style. A visiting choir, the Southwell Consort, sang a magnificent Mass, and we had a guest celebrant and preacher for the evening Mass. It was a fitting celebration for a very special feast, the Feast of the Sacred Heart is celebrated in the week after Corpus Christi which in turn falls in the week after Trinity Sunday. The timing is not an accident. Three Feasts of faith.Three celebrations of the mystery of our God.

The Sacred Heart is a visible reminder of the truth that The Divine love which comes to us through the humanity of Christ has its origin in the Godhead, and that Godhead is sovereign and absolute. The Son of God’s human love for us does not derive from the vagaries of affection, nor is it diluted by the self-indulgence of sadness or desire. The love which comes from the Sacred Heart is a fearless charity that has never been weakened by any of the passions. In Christ’s human soul, the human passions were certainly present, but they were entirely subject to the sway of His human reason, and both His reason and His affections were wholly subject to the will of His Father. The generous warmth which pours out of the Sacred Heart like an unstoppable fountain is a sign that real love, love free from passion, is not only possible, but is also the only true link between humanity and Godhead. A message for our times. So much confusion. That sort of love does not come naturally to us. But it does come supernaturally. It is a gift of faith; more than that, it is the living of that Christian faith.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus teaches us about the love of God; more than that, it teaches us how to love as Christians should.

The love which fills the Sacred Heart of Jesus is that uncompromising and disinterested charity to which the gospel calls, us. All of us. Consider that call, and consider our feeble response. Remember Our Lord’s words when He revealed Himself to Saint Margaret Mary Allocate: “Behold this heart which has so loved mankind, and which has received in return so much ingratitude, so much indifference.”

We can surely do no better than to turn again and again to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

That Heart calls us to reject the glittering prizes of self-fulfilment, which the world parades before us. It calls us to opt instead for the only prize that can ever really satisfy; the love of God. Christ’s Heart reminds us that we are called to rise above our transient passions, called to baptise and harness these passions in the service of righteousness, that righteousness which should characterise the people of God; a holy nation, a royal priesthood, a people set apart. The Sacred Heart invites us to love humankind with the same love with which Christ Himself is on fire, not an inconstant fluttering of the affections, but a powerful and active flame which gives itself completely, and powerfully burns away all dross.

Finally, our devotion to the Sacred Heart will remind us of our destiny. Do we need reminding? Yes, we need reminding, because whether we like it or not we are part of a society which is collectively infected, infected with the idolatries of affirmation, reassurance and self-fulfilment. In a word: Pride. The Sacred Heart reminds us that our vocation is to serve none of these false gods, and yet, to those who are on the way to salvation, the Sacred Heart does offer a sort of reassurance, but a reassurance which relates not to our status and comfort in this world, but to our status and comfort in the world to come. When we contemplate the charity of the Sacred Heart, we are gazing
into our destiny; our destiny to beatitude, bliss unending, in the Lord. We shall attain beatitude not by self-fulfilment, but by self-emptying, in strict imitation of our Master.

Who on earth, with any sense, would want to be affirmed when the Sacred Heart of Jesus promises instead that we can, if we wish, be saved?

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Planning the Sacred Heart Procession 2025

Sacred Heart 24
c/o St Mary Magdalen Catholic Church, East Hill, Wandsworth, London SW18 2QU sacredheart24uk@gmail.com
SacredHeart24.UK
07545 332563

February 2025

Dear Friends

Sacred Heart of Jesus Procession 14 June 2025
Planning Meeting 16 March INVITATION

As you know, June is the Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 2025 the Feast is on 27th June. Our idea of flying the Flag of The Sacred Heart of Jesus at the Wandsworth Town Hall began in June 2024 and was prompted by the fact that the Town Hall authorities fly the Pride Flag for the whole month of June, and other flags throughout the year.

On 7 June 2024 we made a request of Wandsworth Town Council to fly the Flag of the Sacred Heart in a letter signed by 31 Catholics, mostly from the parish of St Mary Magdalen’s, East Hill, Wandsworth. Our request was denied in two letters from Juliette Martin, Policy and Review Officer.

The initial refusal had these two paragraphs:

‘As a Council, we recognise the celebrations of our Christian communities. After full consideration, I am sorry to advise that the Council is unable to fly the flag at the Town Hall.

‘I regret that this is not the response you were hoping for. I have considered the Government regulations on the flying of flags in England, the official flags which are already flown from the Town Hall across the year, and the overall work of the Council in marking national and international dates, other celebrations and commemorations, to celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion in our borough. In doing so I feel I have reached a consistent and fair decision in light of the above considerations.’

When we asked for the right to appeal this decision we received this reply:

‘It was made with thorough consideration, and consistent with the official flags flown across the Town Hall throughout the year. I regret that we would not look to change this decision.’

All correspondence is available on request.

A Way Forward for June 2025

The Christian tradition of marking the month of June as the month of the Sacred Heart and flying the Sacred Heart flag goes back over 400 years. So we have a great ‘cloud of witnesses’ (Hebrews 12:1) for our encouragement and support!

On 14 June 2025, we are calling for a prayerful procession of Christians (Catholic and non-Catholic) to begin at 11:30, (following the 10:30 Mass), walking from St Mary Magdalen parish to and around the Town Hall, and then returning to the parish. We would begin and end in prayer at the Church. The journey to the Town Hall, around and back is about a 30-minute walk. A large flag would be carried and we encourage everyone to carry smaller flags as well. With prayers and songs throughout!

There are many details, which we need to work out and we need your help, with suggestions and participation.

We invite you to a meeting on 16 March at 12:30, after the 11 a.m. Mass in the parish hall of St Mary Magdalen parish. Can you invite others who would like to support this initiative? RSVP.

Please contact us if you would like more information or to help out in anyway, whether or not you can attend the planning meeting.

We very much look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,
Carmel and Dan Martin
Tracy Gravesande

O my God! I offer Thee all my actions of this day for the intentions and for the glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart, my every thought, my simplest works, by uniting them to its infinite merits; and I wish to make reparation for my sins by casting them into the furnace of its Merciful Love.

O my God! I ask of Thee for myself and for those whom I hold dear, the grace to fulfil perfectly Thy Holy Will, to accept for love of Thee the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united together in heaven for all Eternity.

Amen

St Thérèse of Lisieux

P.S. Also available/attached is the Homily preached by Canon Martin on 9 June 2024.