The Knights of Columbus launched its new Pilgrim Icon Program centered on devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus with a Holy Hour on the first Friday of January — the day dedicated to the Sacred Heart each month — at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, the birthplace of the Order.
During the Jan. 3 event, which was organized by San Salvador Council 1, the official program icon was displayed, depicting Italian artist Pompeo Batoni’s famous 1767 image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is now located in the Church of the Gesù in Rome. This reproduction of the image is one of more than 300 icons, each bearing the apostolic blessing of Pope Francis, traveling around the world as part of the Pilgrim Icon Program.
Before the Holy Hour, Father Ryan Lerner, pastor in solidum of Blessed Michael McGivney Parish, celebrated a Mass for the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus.
“The name of Jesus casts out fear, anxiety and distress; reminds us of our need for a Savior; instills trust, brings peace, and unites our hearts more closely to his Most Sacred Heart,” Father Lerner said in his homily. “Through the Holy Name of Jesus, may we be drawn ever closer to him, allowing his name to purify and strengthen us on our pilgrim way.”
After Mass, Father Lerner led a Eucharistic Holy Hour that followed the Order’s newly published Sacred Heart Holy Hour booklet, which contains readings from Scripture and reflections from Pope Francis’ new encyclical devoted to the Sacred Heart, Dilexit Nos (He Loved Us). The prayer service also included the recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and time for silent prayer and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.
The pope’s encyclical and the Knights’ new Pilgrim Icon Program both coincide with the 350th anniversary of the visions of the Sacred Heart received by the French nun St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, who first promoted the First Friday devotion and reported the 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart tied to the devotion.
“In many ways, Dilexit Nos can serve as a mission statement for the Knights of Columbus in today’s world,” Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly wrote in his introduction to the holy hour booklet. “The pope observes that we live in a fragmented and divided society, but the heart of Christ is a unifying center. It is the source of truth and goodness that we all need.”
On Dec. 20, 2024, Pope Francis received Supreme Knight Kelly in a private audience at the Vatican where the supreme knight presented the pope with an icon and booklet for the Sacred Heart prayer service. He also provided the Holy Father with an update on notable activities of the Knights of Columbus in the past year, including the growth of the Cor men’s faith formation initiative, charitable work around the world, and support for vocations in the United States and Canada.
For more than 45 years, the Order’s Pilgrim Icon Program has given more than 23 million people opportunities to honor Jesus, the Blessed Mother and the saints through 191,000 prayer services featuring icons of different subjects, such as Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Holy Family and St. Joseph. The Sacred Heart icon is the 20th image venerated through the program since 1979.
Supreme Knight Kelly has also encouraged families to enthrone images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in their homes in response to Jesus’ promise to St. Margaret Mary to “bless every place in which an image of my heart is exposed and honored.”
“As my brother Knights of Columbus bring reproductions of this beloved image to parishes around the world, I hope that they will invite their families — and all families — to consecrate their homes and themselves to the Sacred Heart,” said the supreme knight. “In the heart of Christ, we see the heart of the Father. And we ask Our Lord to help us make his heart our own, so that we may see and love in others what he sees and loves in us.”
For more information on the Pilgrim Icon Program and to download materials, visit kofc.org/sacredheart.