Consecration of the Family and Home to the Sacred Heart

[The Rule of the Knights of Our Lady, Chapter XVII, Article 3, states: "They will consecrate their homes to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, so that peace and love may reign there." While the Rule does not specify how this is to be done, the following are a set of instructions which may be used to this end:]

 

Introduction

 

When our Lord appeared to Ste. Marguerite Marie Alacoque circa 1673, in her convent of Paray-le-Monial, France, and asked her to spread devotion to His Most Sacred Heart, He made the following promise: "I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated."

Indeed our Lord so loves us and so wishes to be a part of our daily lives, that He offers us His special blessing if we will place His image in the place of honor in our homes, both to form a constant reminder to us of His supreme love for us, and, by His constant presence, to emphasize the all-important relationship we have with Him, as our Lord and King.

Some of the Lord's other Sacred Heart Promises are as follows:

1. "I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life."
2. "I will give peace in their homes."
3. "I will console them in all their afflilctions."
4. "I will be their secure refuge in life, and especially in death."
5. "I will abundantly bless all their undertakings."
6. "Fervent souls shall rise quickly and mount to high perfection."

Our families thus gain important graces and blessings from the time we enthrone His image and through the Consecration of the Family to the love of His Sacred Heart. This act will bring the Devotion into the home, where it is most needed and can be most effective, and:

• stabilize and sanctify the family;
• create a Catholic atmosphere and spirit of piety in the home;
• bring back wayward family members; and
• help to console members of the family in times of trial and sorrow.  

 

Enthronement and Family Consecration Ceremony

1. Enthronement
Father (or Mother, if only one is present):

Let us all stand while in Your name I enthrone the Sacred Heart as the head of our family.

[All gather around the father who takes the image and slowly walks over to the place of honor prepared for it and enthrones it].  

 

All: Lord Jesus Christ, you are the King our family pledges itself to.
We accept your loving rule. Abide with us.

Father: Let us now say the Apostles' Creed for all those who do not believe or practice what our Lord taught.

All: [The Apostles Creed:]

We believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ,
His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary;
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell;
the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven,
is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints,
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

Father: Today, we consecrate our family to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ our Lord.
May each of us renew our dedication to God by consecrating ourselves to His loving Heart.

2. Act of Consecration

Father: Almighty and Eternal Father. We, the [...] family,

[each member of the family says his/her first name, beginning with the father],

give and consecrate ourselves and our home to the Sacred Heart of Your Only Begotten Son,

our persons and our lives, our actions, pains, and sufferings,

so that He may make use of any part of our beings to save, to honor, love,

and glorify His Sacred Heart.

This is our unchanging purpose, namely, to be all His, and to do all things for the love of Him,

at the same time renouncing with all our hearts whatever is displeasing to Him.

We take You, O Sacred Heart, to be the only object of our love, the guardian of our lives,

our assurance of salvation, the remedy of our weakness and inconstancy,

the atonement for all the faults of our lives, and our sure refuge at the hour of death.

Be then, O Heart of goodness, our justification before God Your Father,
and turn away from us the strokes of His righteous anger.
O Heart of love, we put all of our confidence in You,
for we hope for all things from Your goodness and bounty.

Consume in us all that can displease You or resist Your holy will.

Let Your pure love imprint You so deeply upon our hearts,

that we shall nevermore be able to forget You or be separated from You.

May we obtain from all Your loving kindness the grace of having our name written in You,

for in You we desire to place all of our happiness and all of our glory,

living and dying in true bondage to You.

May we return Our Lord's love, as He comes into the midst of our family,

to live and share our lives from this day on.

We accept the Divine Heart of Jesus as a living member of this family. Abide with us Lord.

Sanctify our joys and comfort us in all our sorrows.

May Your Holy Spirit inspire each of us so that we may continually be aware

of Your Presence among us and in one another.

Help us, through this consecration to have a deep and loving respect for one another,

so that we may daily live this consecration in our family life.

Let our love go beyond our home into the world,

so that we may do our part to win others to your Sacred Heart,

thus helping to extend the Kingdom of God here on earth.

All: Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy Kingdom Come. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
Glory be to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, forever and ever. Amen.

3. Intercessory Prayers

Father: That the Sacred Heart of Jesus may be known, loved, and served in a special way,

in our home and throughout this world, we pray to the Lord. Lord hear our prayer.

 

Mother: That Mary, Our Mother, through her Most Immaculate Heart,

help us to keep the spirit of our Enthronement by bringing us together daily to pray

in the Name of Jesus Christ her son, let us pray to the Lord. Lord hear our prayer.

Children [or parents]: For all the members of our family who cannot be with us, 
whether living or dead, let us pray to the Lord. Lord hear our prayer.

All: That God may bless our family with vocations to religious life, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord hear our prayer [Personal requests may be added if desired].

4. Litany of Thanksgiving

Father: As we thank God our heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ His Son, in the Church,

so now do we thank His Sacred heart through the Heart of His mother. Praise to you, Lord.  

 

Mother: For our children, Lord, we give you thanks and praise.

Children: For our parents, Lord, we give you thanks and praise.

Father: For coming into our home, Lord, we give you thanks and praise.

Mother: For giving us the Blessed Virgin Mary, Your Mother, as our own Mother, Lord,
we give you thanks and praise.

Children: For Our holy Father the Pope, our Bishop and our priests, Lord,
we give you thanks and praise.

5. Hail Holy Queen

Father: Christ is our King and His Mother Mary our Holy Queen. Many, by their deeds, their words or their immodesty, offend the Immaculate Heart of Mary, our Sovereign Queen.

Let us atone and earnestly promise, at this time, no longer to offend our Blessed Mother:

 

Hail, Holy Queen, our life, our sweetness and our hope,

to you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve,

to you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.

Turn then, most gracious advocate , your eyes of mercy toward us,

and after this exile , show us the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

O Clement , O Loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God,

that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

6. Parental Blessing
The children kneel before the parents. First the father, then the mother,
make the Sign of the Cross on the forehead of each child saying:
"I bless you, my child, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
The child answers: "Amen."