Relics of ‘Apostle of the Sacred Heart’ coming to Newark’s cathedral
Major relics of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the 17th-century French cloistered nun, mystic, and visionary known as the Apostle of the Sacred Heart, will be available for public veneration at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, NJ, from Friday, Sept. 4 through Sunday, Sept. 6.
The schedule for public veneration is:
Friday, Sept. 4: 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 5: 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 6: 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The visit will conclude with a special Mass at 12 noon on Sunday, Sept. 6, celebrated by Bishop Michael Saporito. As on every first Sunday of the month, a tour of the Cathedral Basilica will also be offered that afternoon at 1:15 p.m.
About St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
Born in 1647, Margaret Alacoque grew up in a large Catholic family. Following the death of her father when she was eight years old, Margaret was sent to live at a school run by the Poor Clares. She was bed-ridden for four years after contracting rheumatic fever, but after making a vow to the Virgin Mary to enter religious life, she was healed instantly. From that moment, she added the name Mary to her baptismal name.
Still, due to her family situation, she delayed entering a convent. When her mother encouraged her to socialize, Margaret Mary obeyed. But one evening, returning from a party in a fancy dress, she had a vision of Jesus covered in blood from scourging. He showed her that although she had neglected her childhood promise, His Sacred Heart still overflowed with love for her. When she finally entered the convent, she was 23.
Three years later, Sister Margaret Mary began experiencing a series of apparitions of Jesus in which He revealed the depths of His divine love for humanity and called for greater devotion to His Sacred Heart. At the Lord’s instruction, and with the assistance of her spiritual director, the Jesuit priest St. Claude de la Colombière, St. Margaret Mary helped introduce and spread the spiritual practices associated with devotion to the Sacred Heart that the Church continues to observe today.
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque died in 1690 and was canonized in 1920.
Historic opportunity
The reliquary that will be hosted in the Cathedral Basilica is one of four portable reliquaries that are currently touring sites in France and around the world. According to OSV News, it is the largest of the four and contains “the saint’s clavicles, two of her ribs, and a small piece of her brain.”
The Knights of Columbus brought the relics from France in June, when the US bishops consecrated the nation to the Sacred Heart, timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. From Orlando, where the consecration was held, the relics have travelled under the custody of the knights to New Haven, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and other cities in the United States. They will return to France later this month.
“We are deeply grateful to welcome the relics of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque to the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart,” said Father Matthew Gonzalez, the cathedral’s rector. “In a very real way, St. Margaret Mary has long been present here through the sacred art, architecture, and stained glass of this Basilica, which continually point us toward the mystery of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Now, in a remarkable and fitting way, she will be present among us through her major relics. There is something especially providential about welcoming the Apostle of the Sacred Heart into a basilica dedicated to that very mystery of Christ’s love.”
He called the relic visit a “historic opportunity” for the cathedral community and the entire archdiocese during nation’s Semiquincentennial.
“I hope many people will come to pray, entrust their needs to the Lord, and rediscover the immense and fiery love of the Heart of Jesus,” Father Gonzalez said.
Featured image: A reliquary containing major relics of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque will visit the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart from Sept. 4 – 6. (Photo courtesy of John Tirado)
