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Bishops will consecrate US to Sacred Heart of Jesus to honor nation’s 250th anniversary - Printable Version

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Bishops will consecrate US to Sacred Heart of Jesus to honor nation’s 250th anniversary - Stone - 11-13-2025

Bishops will consecrate US to Sacred Heart of Jesus to honor nation’s 250th anniversary
The consecration will take place on June 12, 2026, the final day of the USCCB's Spring Assembly, which coincides with the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

[Image: Shutterstock_651440242.jpg]

Painting of Sacred Heart of Jesus in church Chiesa di Santa Maria della Consolazione by Luigi Guglielmino (1885 - 1962).
Shutterstock

Nov 12, 2025
BALTIMORE (LifeSiteNews) — The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) voted overwhelmingly Tuesday in favor of a measure to consecrate the nation to Our Lord’s Sacred Heart next June to commemorate the 250th anniversary of its founding.

The American bishops, during the first day of the USCCB’s Fall assembly, voted 215-8 to approve a measure proposed by Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, and chairman of the conference’s Committee on Religious Liberty, to entrust the United States to Our Lord’s Sacred Heart in June 2026, with seven bishops abstaining from the vote. The consecration will take place on June 12, the final day of the USCCB’s Spring Assembly in Orlando, Florida, which coincides with the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, just weeks ahead of America’s Semiquincentennial.

This will notably be the first time the United States has been consecrated to Our Lord’s Sacred Heart.

“At their November General Assembly, the U.S. bishops approved the consecration of the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart in June 2026, as part of the Church’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States,” the USCCB wrote on X after the vote.

“Through this act of consecration, the bishops seek to renew devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to recognize the kingship of Christ, perfecting the temporal order with the spirit of the Gospel,” the bishops’ conference added.


Because the vote was conducted by secret ballot, it is unknown which bishops voted against the measure and which abstained from voting altogether. Some have speculated on social media that the seven bishops who abstained from voting may be Eastern Catholic bishops in attendance, as devotion to the Sacred Heart is not part of their tradition. However, it’s odd that any bishop, let alone eight, would vote against such a measure.


The USCCB did not respond by publication time to LifeSite’s inquiry as to which bishops dissented.

Before the consecration, as part of the initiative, dioceses across the country will be encouraged to invite the faithful to participate in various acts of devotion, such as offering 250 works of mercy or dedicating 250 hours to Eucharistic adoration leading up to the consecration. Prayer resources, including a novena leading up to the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, will also be developed by the USCCB.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was introduced in the 17th century by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, who received visions from Our Lord. The Sacred Heart emphasizes Jesus’ divine love, mercy, and compassion for sinners. It emphasizes a personal relationship with Christ through prayer, acts of reparation, and consecration to His Heart.

As noted by Rhoades while introducing the measure, in his 1925 encyclical Quas Primas, Pope Pius XI had urged the faithful to consecrate themselves, their families, and their countries to Our Lord’s Sacred Heart.

“One hundred years ago, in 1925, in his encyclical instituting the feast of Christ the King, Pope Pius XI – drawing on the teaching of Pope Leo XIII – referred to the pious custom of consecrating oneself, families, and even nations to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as a way to recognize the kingship of Christ,” the bishop said.

READ: Head of Irish bishops to consecrate country to Sacred Heart for first time in 150 years

Indeed, there are an abundance of graces the faithful can gain by consecrating themselves or their households to Our Lord’s Sacred Heart. In fact, Our Lord gave St. Margaret Mary Alacoque 12 special promises for the faithful who consecrate themselves and foster a devotion to His Sacred Heart:
  • I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
  • I will establish peace in their homes.
  • I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
  • I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
  • I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
  • Sinners will find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
  • Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.
  • Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
  • I will bless every place in which an image of my Heart is exposed and honored.
  • I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
  • Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in my Heart.
  • I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that my all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in my disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.”