The Apostle of the Sacred Heart

The Church celebrates the feast of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 16. She was a humble French nun of the Visitation Order. Moreover, she became the Apostle of the Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Therefore, millions of Catholics owe their love for the Sacred Heart to her witness. In addition, her story shows how God chooses the hidden and the simple.

Margaret Mary was born on July 22, 1647, in Lhautecour, France. She was the fifth of seven children and the only daughter. After a favour she attributed to Our Lady, she added the name Mary to her own and vowed to become a nun. As a result, she entered the Visitation convent at Paray-le-Monial in 1671, when she was almost twenty-four.

A fellow novice described her as humble, simple and frank, but above all kind and patient. In 1672, she made her religious profession and received profound mystical graces. Meanwhile, Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Jane Frances de Chantal founded her order. Thus, she lived in a house marked by gentleness and prayer.

On December 27, 1673, the first great apparition began, and further visions followed in 1674 and 1675. Margaret Mary reported that Jesus showed her his Sacred Heart, surrounded by flames, crowned with thorns and topped by a cross. Moreover, these visions came while she prayed before the Blessed Sacrament or after Holy Communion. Therefore, her devotion stayed rooted in the Eucharist.

The Lord gave her a threefold mission. First, she should ask Church authorities to institute a yearly feast of the Sacred Heart on the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi. Second, she should promote Mass and Holy Communion in honour of the Sacred Heart on the first Friday of each month. Third, she should encourage an hour of prayer, now called the Holy Hour. The great apparition probably took place around June 16, 1675.

However, the mission brought great suffering. Her superior, Mother de Saumaise, reprimanded her for presumption. Moreover, a group of theologians doubted her visions, and many sisters in her community did too. The examination was a torture for her. Nevertheless, she endured the trial with patience.

Help came from a Jesuit, Saint Claude de la Colombière. He was the superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray-le-Monial. After talking with her, he declared that her visions were genuine. In addition, he consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and began to spread the devotion. In 1676, he left for England as a preacher to the Duchess of York.

Gradually, her community embraced the message. She became novice mistress. In 1686, the convent began to celebrate the feast of the Sacred Heart privately. Two years later, a chapel rose in honour of the Sacred Heart. Soon, other Visitation convents followed. Meanwhile, the Jesuits carried the devotion across the Church.

Margaret Mary died on October 17, 1690, at the age of 43. She received the last sacraments and spoke the names of Jesus and Mary. According to one account, she said she needed nothing but God and wished to lose herself in the heart of Jesus. Her body rests in the Chapel of the Apparitions at Paray-le-Monial. Pope Leo XII declared her venerable in 1824, and Pope Pius IX beatified her in 1864. Pope Benedict XV canonised her on May 13, 1920.

The devotion spread widely. Pope Clement XIII approved it in 1765. Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the whole Church in 1856. In Paris, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre honours her message. Catholics also remember Saint John Eudes and Saint Claude de la Colombière as saints of the Sacred Heart. She is patron of devotees of the Sacred Heart, people with polio and those who have lost their parents.

What can we learn from Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque? First, God often speaks to the humble. Next, patience can win hearts. Furthermore, the Sacred Heart teaches us to love and to make reparation. Therefore, you can honour her today. Attend Mass, make a short Holy Hour or pray before an image of the Sacred Heart. You can also plan to receive Holy Communion on the first Friday of each month.

For more reading, see New Advent, Catholic Online and the Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales. In addition, you can revisit the life of Saint John Eudes.