In the presence of the heart of Christ, I once more ask the Lord to have mercy on this suffering world in which he chose to dwell as one of us. May he pour out the treasures of his light and love, so that our world, which presses forward despite wars, socio-economic disparities and uses of technology that threaten our humanity, may regain the most important and necessary thing of all: its heart.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a devotion to Christ’s Heart of flesh which represents and recalls His love for us. In 1856, Pope Pius IX established the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, to be celebrated on the Friday after the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). This year, the Solemnity honoring Jesus’s heart falls on Friday, June 27, 2025. The entire month of June, the Sacred Heart is also honored in a special way. Take time during this month to reflect on Christ’s love for us.
- Read papal encyclicals which teach about the Sacred Heart of Jesus:
- Pope Francis: Dilexit Nos
- Pope Leo XIII: Annum Sacrum
- Pope Pius XI: Miserentissimus Redemptor
- Pope Pius XII: Haurietis Aquas
Pope Leo XIV’s Prayer to the Sacred Heart for the Month of June
"Let us pray together that each one of us might find consolation in a personal relationship with Jesus, and from His Heart, learn to have compassion on the world."
Lord, I come to your tender heart today, to you who have words that set my heart ablaze, to you who pour out compassion on the little ones and the poor, on those who suffer, and on all human miseries.
I desire to know you more, to contemplate you in the Gospel, to be with you and learn from you and from the charity with which you allowed yourself to be touched by all forms of poverty.
You showed us the Father’s love by loving us without measure with your divine and human heart. Grant all your children the grace of encountering you.
Change, shape, and transform our plans, so that we seek only you in every circumstance: in prayer, in work, in encounters, and in our daily routine.
From this encounter, send us out on mission, a mission of compassion for the world in which you are the source from which all consolation flows.
Amen.
World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests
The World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests takes place every year on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. This day was established by Pope St. John Paul II in 2002. It encourages priests to reflect upon the importance and dignity of their vocation and animates Catholics around the world to pray for the priests in their community.
Prayer for Priests
Gracious and loving God, we thank you for the gift of our priests. Through them, we experience your presence in the sacraments.
Help our priests to be strong in their vocation. Set their souls on fire with love for your people.
Grant them the wisdom, understanding, and strength they need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Inspire them with the vision of your Kingdom.
Give them the words they need to spread the Gospel. Allow them to experience joy in their ministry.
Help them to become instruments of your divine grace.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns as our Eternal Priest.