The Month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Catholics dedicate the month of June to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in veneration and in gratitude for His merciful heart and His redeeming love for mankind.

Holy masses, novenas, and the recitation of devotional prayers in honour of the Sacred Heart are traditionally observed by the faithful devotees in the Catholic Church.

The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary said devotion to the Sacred Heart “is an expression of our faith in Jesus Christ’s mercy and our way to express our gratitude for His mercy and love.” Characteristic acts of devotion include almsgiving, consecration, and reparation.

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690), a French Catholic nun, was instrumental in spreading devotion to the Sacred Heart after she had visions of Jesus beginning in 1673 when Jesus asked her to have a special feast established in honour of His Sacred Heart.

In addition to the liturgical celebration, many devotional exercises are connected with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Of all devotions, devotion to the Sacred Heart was, and remains, one of the most widespread and popular in the Church.

Understood in the light of the Scriptures, the term “Sacred Heart of Jesus” denotes the entire mystery of Christ, the totality of his being, and his person considered in its most intimate essential: Son of God, uncreated wisdom; infinite charity, principal of the salvation and sanctification of mankind. The “Sacred Heart” is Christ, the Word Incarnate, Saviour, intrinsically containing, in the Spirit, infinite divine-human love for the Father and for his brothers.

Excerpted from the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy