Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary

According to Fr. Mateo Crawley-Boevey. SS.CC.

Essence & Purpose

Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a crusade to establish the Social Reign of the Sacred Heart in society through the family. to bring about Our Lord's desire made known to St. Margaret Mary:

I will reign through My Heart!

It is an organised campaign to restore Christ to the family and to society. Religious houses, schools, businesses can also enthrone the Sacred Heart, to make Him King of our society in everything we do.

Ceremony

Install the picture of the Sacred Heart

The Enthronement begins with a beautiful and impressive ceremony. In the home itself, in the presence of the priest, who presides at the ceremony (or the head of the family), the family publicly and solemnly acknowledges that Christ is the King and loving Master of its home. This is done by having the head of the family (convent, school, etc...) install a picture or statue of the Sacred Heart in the place of honour, in the principal room of the home, as on a throne: hence the word Enthronement.

Act of consecration

After this solemn acknowledgment of the sovereign rights of Christ the King over the family, the members consecrate themselves to the Sacred Heart. Thereby they pledge themselves to live as though the Sacred Heart were actually dwelling in their midst as He did at Nazareth, treating Him as an intimate member of the family, as a Friend and Brother.

Family life

This ceremony is only the beginning of a new life of loving obedience to all the commandments of Christ and the Church; a life of prayer: especially of family prayers before the image of the Enthroned King, evening prayers and Rosary in common; a Eucharistic life: of frequent and even daily Mass and Communion, thereby linking up the sanctuary of the Church and the sanctuary of the home; finally a life of Christian penance, especially by refusing to give in to pagan customs and ideas which are slowly destroying the Christian home, and by making reparation for the terrible cries of divorce, birth control and sensuality.

Why will the Enthronement Restore the Family to Christ? Because by the Enthronement, a family puts Our Lord and His interests first. In return, the Sacred Heart takes over the interests of the family. Our Lord Himself has promised that He will bless and sanctify those families who Enthrone Him as King. He asked St. Margaret Mary, to whom He revealed His Sacred Heart, that He be allowed to reign over the homes of the rich and the poor; that He be solemnly received as King and Friend, and that His Sacred Heart be honoured and loved. I will establish peace in their homes: I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life: I will comfort them in all their afflictions; I will bless all their undertakings. Hence we may safely say that this is the means Our Lord Himself has selected to restore His sovereign rights over the family, and through the family, over society itself.

Approval

Has This Work Been Approved? Yes, first by the Sacred Heart Himself, as evidenced by the countless conversions, both of individuals and families, where the Sacred Heart has been Enthroned: secondly, by four popes of the twentieth century:

  • St. Pius X called it “a work of social salvation”
  • Benedict XV wrote to Fr. Mateo, its founder: “Nothing is more opportune than your undertaking.”
  • Pius XI blessed this work many times both publicly and privately
  • Pius XII wrote to Fr. Mateo praising him for his work and encouraging him to continue the work of “the Enthronement, which is so well suited to foster the reign of love and mercy of the Sacred Heart in the family.”

Preparation

Here below we describe how the ceremonies of Enthronement need to be prepared in the home. The instructions apply equally to parishes, religious communities, schools and workplaces.

  1. Understand what the Enthronement is and how important it is to the family.
  2.  Ideally a priest should preside over the ceremony, but this is not essential to gain the indulgences. For serious reasons, the father or someone else may preside and lead the prayers. For convents, it should be the superior, for schools, the headmaster, etc...
  3. If possible, have the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered that morning for the reign of the Sacred Heart in your home, and as an act of love and reparation to the Sacred Heart. The entire family, community, school, should try to receive Communion at this Mass, or at another Mass.
  4. Obtain as beautiful a picture or statue of the Sacred Heart as possible. If you already have a picture, use that one.
  5. Below the place of honour reserved for the statue or picture, prepare a “throne” or “altar,”(for a parish, it could be a side altar) that is to say, a table (or perhaps the mantelpiece) covered with a white cloth, beautifully decorated with flowers and candles. The picture or statue and holy water should be placed on a small table near the “throne” before the ceremony.
  6. Make a day of it and invite anyone who would gladly come to your home, parish, convent or school; thus you will already begin to be “apostles of the Sacred Heart”. Make festive preparations to celebrate the Enthronement, with a special treat for the children, who, of course, should be present at the ceremony, even the smallest.
  7. Make this day memorable. The greater the solemnity the better.

A final note: there is no better way for a young couple to begin their married life, than to enthrone the Sacred Heart in their new home.

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