St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Quick answer
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690) was a French nun of the Visitation order at Paray-le-Monial. Between 1673 and 1675, Jesus appeared to her and showed her His Heart, burning with love for mankind and wounded by indifference. He asked for Communion on the First Friday of each month, a Holy Hour on Thursday nights, and a feast of the Sacred Heart. With the help of St. Claude de la Colombière, the devotion spread throughout the Church. Her feast is October 16.
Key takeaways
- She suffered a long illness as a child and was healed after promising herself to Mary.
- She entered the Visitation convent at Paray-le-Monial in 1671.
- Jesus showed her His Heart and said, "Behold this Heart which has so loved men."
- The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart is celebrated on the Friday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost.
The image of Jesus pointing to His Heart, crowned with thorns and burning with flame, hangs in countless Catholic homes. It comes to us through a quiet French nun who was often misunderstood.
A Difficult Childhood
Margaret Alacoque was born on July 22, 1647, in Burgundy, France. Her father died when she was eight. For years she was bedridden with an illness, and she was healed after promising the Blessed Virgin that she would give herself to religious life. After her recovery, relatives who controlled the family home treated her and her mother harshly.
The Visitation Convent
In 1671 she entered the convent of the Visitation at Paray-le-Monial, an order founded by St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane Frances de Chantal. She took the name Mary. She was clumsy at work and sometimes misunderstood by her sisters, but she was deeply devoted to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
The Revelations of the Sacred Heart
From December 1673, while praying before the Blessed Sacrament, Margaret Mary had a series of visions. Jesus showed her His Heart, burning with love and surrounded by thorns, with a cross above it. In 1675 He said to her, in words recorded in her writings, “Behold this Heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing,” and lamented that in return He received ingratitude and coldness.
He asked for:
- Holy Communion on the First Friday of each month, in reparation.
- A Holy Hour on Thursday nights, to share His agony in Gethsemane.
- A feast in honor of His Heart on the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi.
He also gave promises, often listed as twelve, to those devoted to His Heart, including peace in families, consolation in trials, and the grace of final perseverance for those who make nine First Fridays.
Doubted, Then Believed
Many in her convent thought she was deluded. God sent her a confessor, the Jesuit St. Claude de la Colombière, who recognized the authenticity of her experiences and helped spread the message. In time even her sisters embraced the devotion.
She died on October 17, 1690, and was canonized in 1920.
The Devotion Today
The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus each year in June. Pope Pius XII explained the devotion in Haurietis Aquas (1956), and Pope Francis wrote about it in Dilexit Nos (2024). The Heart of Jesus is a sign of His love, divine and human, for each of us (CCC 478).
A Prayer to the Sacred Heart (Original Prayer)
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, You have loved me without limit. Forgive my coldness and ingratitude. Make my heart like Yours, gentle and humble, and keep my family in Your love. Amen.
Continue Reading
Read about St. Gertrude the Great, an earlier mystic of the Heart of Jesus, St. John the Apostle, who leaned on His breast, or Padre Pio.
Frequently asked questions
When is the feast of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque?
October 16.
What are the First Fridays?
The practice of receiving Holy Communion, in a state of grace, on the first Friday of nine consecutive months in reparation to the Sacred Heart. Jesus promised Margaret Mary the grace of final perseverance to those who do so.
Who helped spread the devotion?
Her confessor, the Jesuit St. Claude de la Colombière, who believed her and spread the message. Pope Pius IX extended the feast of the Sacred Heart to the whole Church in 1856.
Sources
- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Autobiography
- Pope Pius XII, Encyclical Haurietis Aquas (1956)
- Pope Francis, Encyclical Dilexit Nos (2024)
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 478, 2669
