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36-563: The Devotion of the Nine First Fridays is based on revelations from Jesus Christ reportedly received by Margaret Mary Alacoque , a Visitation nun, between 1673 and 1675 in Paray-Le-Monial, France. This devotion was revealed to Margaret Mary in the form of a promise of final penance granted to those who accomplish this practice, also known as the "Great Promise". This was done in order to promote reparatory communions and

72-545: A ball for Carnival dressed in her finery, she experienced a vision of Christ, scourged and bloody. He reproached her for her forgetfulness of him; yet he also reassured her by demonstrating that his heart was filled with love for her, because of the childhood promise she had made to his Blessed Mother. As a result, she determined to fulfill her vow and entered, when almost 24 years of age, the Visitation Convent at Paray-le-Monial on 25 May 1671, intending to become

108-527: A cause for her canonization . Six years later, Commissaries Apostolic were sent to Paray-le-Monial by the Holy See to inspect the virtues of the venerable Alacoque. The Commissaries desired to open her tomb in order to authenticate her remains. When Alacoque's tomb was opened in July 1830, they discovered that her brain had been preserved from corruption , 140 years after her death. Four doctors recorded

144-628: A knife the name of Jesus above her heart. From the blood that flowed from the wound she signed the act in these words: ' Sister Margaret Mary, Disciple of the Divine Heart of the Adorable Jesus ' Upset by the fact that the wounds which she had cut into her breast were beginning to fade, she attempted to reopen the original wounds on more than one occasion using a knife. But, having failed to open them to her liking, she decided to burn her chest with fire. This incident placed her in

180-456: A nun. Alacoque was subjected to many trials to prove the genuineness of her vocation. She was admitted to wearing the religious habit on 25 August 1671, but was not allowed to make her religious profession on the same date of the following year, which would have been the usual course. A fellow novice described Margaret Mary as humble, simple and frank, but above all kind and patient. She was finally admitted to profession on 6 November 1672. It

216-584: A private request from Jesus to urge the King of France, Louis XIV , to consecrate the nation to the Sacred Heart, so that he may be "triumphant over all the enemies of Holy Church." Either Louis XIV never received the letter or he refused to reply. Alacoque died on 17 October 1690. After Alacoque's death, the devotion to the Sacred Heart was fostered by the Jesuits even as it remained controversial within

252-534: Is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France . The name Verosvres is derived from the Gallic word Verobriga , vero meaning "true" or "good" and briga meaning "fortress": thus giving "Good castle". In 1920, the town of Verosvres formed "an agglomeration of about eighty houses, including one for the post office and telegraph." The town

288-554: Is said that she was assigned to the infirmary and was not very skillful at her tasks. At the monastery, Alacoque reportedly received several apparitions and private revelations of Jesus Christ between 27 December 1673 and June 1675. Among other things, these visions revealed to her different forms of devotion to the Sacred Heart . On 27 December 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary said that Jesus had permitted her to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her

324-434: Is said to derive from Alacoque's emblems. In James Joyce 's short story " Eveline ", in his book Dubliners , a "coloured print of the promises made to Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque" is mentioned as part of the decorations of an Irish home at the turn of the 20th century, testifying to Joyce's fine eye for the details of Irish Catholic piety. Verosvres Verosvres ( French pronunciation: [veʁovʁ] )

360-586: Is the promise of final penance granted to those who practice the First Fridays Devotion. Pope Benedict XV inserted the "Great Promise" of the First Fridays Devotion into the Bull of Canonization of Margaret Mary Alacoque of 13 May 1920, encouraging this way the practice of this act of reparation on the first fridays in honor of the Sacred Heart. In 1889, Pope Leo XIII permitted priests and bishops worldwide to offer one morning votive Mass of

396-538: The Holy Hour , also frequently performed during an hour of Eucharistic adoration on Thursdays. Between 13 and 20 June 1675, she had a vision of Jesus in which he asked her "that the first Friday after the octave of the Blessed Sacrament be dedicated to a particular feast to honor my heart, by receiving communion on that day and making reparation to it by honorable amends..." That vision later led to

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432-526: The Sacred Heart of Jesus in its modern form. Alacoque was born in 1647 in L'Hautecour, Burgundy, France , now part of the commune of Verosvres , then in the Duchy of Burgundy . She was the fifth of seven children, and the only daughter of Claude and Philiberte Lamyn Alacoque. Her father was a well-to-do notary. Her godmother was the Countess of Corcheval. Margaret was described as showing intense love for

468-693: The Blessed Sacrament from early childhood. When Margaret was eight years old, her father died of pneumonia. She was sent to a convent school run by the Poor Clares in Charolles, where she made her First Communion at the age of nine. She later contracted rheumatic fever which confined her to bed for four years. At the end of this period, having made a vow to the Blessed Virgin Mary to consecrate herself to religious life, she

504-609: The Caribbean island of Saint Lucia there are two flower festivals supported by their respective Societies. Each society has a patron saint on whose feast day the grande fete is celebrated. For the Roses it is the feast of St. Rose of Lima on 30 August; and for the Marguerites it is that of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, 17 October. And He [Christ] showed me that it was His great desire of being loved by men and of withdrawing them from

540-597: The Catholic Church. The practice was not officially recognized for 75 years. The discussion of Alacoque's own mission and qualities continued for years. All her actions, her revelations , her spiritual maxims , her teachings regarding the devotion to the Sacred Heart, of which she was the chief exponent as well as the apostle , were subjected to the most severe and minute examination. The Sacred Congregation of Rites eventually voted favorably and Pope Leo XII pronounced her Venerable on 30 March 1824, introducing

576-570: The Sacred Heart on the first Friday of each month in churches or oratories where special devotions to the Sacred Heart were held, provided no feast of the Lord, double of the first class, or privileged feria, vigil, or octave occurred on that day. This permission was retained in the 1962 Missal, which remains the authorized liturgical text for the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite under the terms of Pope Benedict XVI 's Summorum Pontificum , though

612-624: The canonization approval were Louise Agostini-Coleshi's instant and complete cure of chronic transverse meningo-myelitis , and Countess Antonia Artorri's instant and complete cure of right papillary cancer . In his 1928 encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor , Pope Pius XI affirmed the Catholic Church's position regarding the credibility of her visions of Jesus Christ by speaking of Jesus as having "manifested Himself" to Alacoque and having "promised her that all those who rendered this honour to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces". In 1929 her liturgical commemoration

648-631: The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus . According to Alacoque writings, Christ said to her : "In the excess of the mercy of My Heart, I promise you that My all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in My displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and My Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour." The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on

684-482: The first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Mass and receive the Eucharist with the intention of honoring the Sacred Heart and making reparation for sins. The nine First Fridays must be consecutive. If the need arises, in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the sacrament of penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities

720-418: The infirmary: "Trembling and humbled, she went to acknowledge her fault. Mother Greyfie, true to her custom, apparently paid little attention to what Margaret said, but ordered her in a few dry words to go to the infirmary and show her wound to Sister Augustine Marest, who would dress it." She eventually received the support of Claude de la Colombière , the community's confessor for a time, who declared that

756-545: The institution of the Feast of the Sacred Heart , which is now a solemnity in the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church, celebrated eight days after the Feast of Corpus Christi . On 16 June 1675, Alacoque reported three specific requests for France, directly from her spiritual talks. These will have political and religious repercussions and will successively be realized under the royal, imperial and republican French regimes: Initially discouraged in her efforts to follow

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792-486: The instruction she had received in her visions, Alacoque was eventually able to convince her superior, Mother de Saumaise, of the authenticity of her visions. She was unable, however, to convince a Benedictine and a Jesuit, whom Saumaise had consulted. Nor was she any more successful with many of the members of her own community. Sometime around 1681, Alacoque felt compelled to write a personal testament, passionately donating her life completely to Jesus with her own blood. With

828-751: The miracle in a report and two instantaneous cures were also recorded by the Commissaries. The examination of Alacoque's virtues and writings lasted 14 years. Nowadays, her body rests above the side altar in the Chapel of the Apparitions, located at the Visitation Monastery in Paray-le-Monial , which draws pilgrims from all parts of the world. On 23 August 1846, Pope Pius IX officially declared her heroic virtues , granting her

864-421: The path of ruin that made Him want to manifest His Heart to men, with all the treasures of love, of mercy, of grace, of sanctification and salvation which it contains, in order that those who desire to render Him and procure Him all the honour and love possible might themselves be abundantly enriched with those divine treasures of which His heart is the source. The detente bala amulet used by Spanish soldiers

900-669: The permission of her superior she used a pocket knife to carve the name of Jesus into her breast and used the blood to sign the document. The following account recalls this event: She herself wrote out the donation, and signed this humble formula: ' Sister Peronne-Rosalie Greyfie, at present Superioress, and for whom Sister Margaret Mary daily asks conversion with the grace of final penitence. ' This done, Sister Margaret Mary implored Mother Greyfie to allow her, in turn, to sign, but with her blood. The Mother having assented, Sister Margaret Mary went to her cell, bared her breast, and, imitating her illustrious and saintly foundress, cut with

936-457: The practice of the Holy Hour the night before the First Fridays or during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. Several promises were reported by Alacoque for those who are devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The promises suggest that one "will be disposed to Christian discipleship through frequent reception of the sacraments ." The last promise

972-431: The rubrics were altered to restrict the use of this permission to first Fridays on liturgical days of the third and fourth class; additionally, the 1962 rubrics allow two such votive Masses to be said on first Fridays, with no requirement for these Masses to be said in the morning (evening Masses having been permitted by Pope Pius XII by his 1953 apostolic constitution Christus Dominus ). No specific permission for use of

1008-529: The title "Servant of God". On 18 September 1864, Pope Pius IX declared her Blessed . Another tomb opening was done for the process and her brain was still discovered showing signs of incorruptibility , 174 years after her death. Alacoque was canonized by Pope Benedict XV on 13 May, 1920. The Pope inserted the "Great Promise" of the First Fridays Devotion into the Bull of her Canonization . The two miracles by intercession required for

1044-521: The visions were genuine. In 1683, opposition in the community ended when Mother Melin was elected Superior and named Margaret Mary her assistant. She later became Novice Mistress , and saw the monastery observe the Feast of the Sacred Heart privately, beginning in 1686. Two years later, a chapel was built at Paray-le-Monial to honor the Sacred Heart. Observation of the feast of the Sacred Heart spread to other Visitation convents. In 1689, Alacoque received

1080-571: The votive Mass of the Sacred Heart on first Fridays exists in the rubrics of the Mass of Paul VI , though votive Masses of any kind are permitted on most weekdays in Ordinary Time on which no obligatory memorial, feast, or solemnity occurs. Margaret Mary Alacoque Margaret Mary Alacoque , VHM ( French : Marguerite-Marie Alacoque ) (22 July 1647 – 17 October 1690) was a French Visitation nun and mystic who promoted devotion to

1116-421: The wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. Between 1674 and 1675, other apparitions followed and revealed practices for the devotion to the Sacred Heart. The First Fridays Devotion , which is the reception of Holy Communion on nine first Fridays of each month as an act of reparation,

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1152-545: Was asked to Margaret Mary and a "Great Promise" was given to those who accomplish it: "I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who shall receive communion on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penance; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment." In an other vision, Margaret Mary also stated that she

1188-480: Was frequent visits to pray before the Blessed Sacrament in the local church. When she was 17, however, her brother came of age, took undisputed possession of the home and things improved. Her mother encouraged her to socialize, in the hopes of her finding a suitable husband. Out of obedience, and believing that her childhood vow was no longer binding, she began to accompany her brothers in the social events, attending dances and balls. One night, after returning home from

1224-554: Was included in the General Roman calendar for celebration on 17 October, the day of her death. During the reforms of 1969, the feast day was moved to 16 October. It is an optional memorial in the United States. Alacoque's short devotional work, La Devotion au Sacré-Coeur de Jesus (Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus), was published posthumously by J. Croiset in 1698 and has been popular among Catholics . On

1260-492: Was instantly restored to perfect health. In recognition of this favor, she added the name "Mary" to her baptismal name of Margaret. According to her later account of her life, she had visions of Jesus Christ , which she thought were a normal part of human experience, and continued to practice austerity. With the death of Alacoque's father, the family's assets were held by an uncle who refused to hand them over, plunging her family into poverty. During this time, her only consolation

1296-497: Was instructed to spend an hour every Thursday night in prayer and meditation on Jesus' Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane  : "and on each night of Thursday to Friday, I will make you participate in the mortal sadness that I have accepted to feel in the Garden of Olives, (...), you will get up from eleven until midnight, to prostrate yourself during an hour with Me..." . That practice later became widespread among Catholics, known as

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