How to Enthrone your Home to the Sacred Heart with KIDS

“A priest is saying Mass in our dining room! Is that even legal?!”

It was so strange to see Father processing from our living room to our dining room, and then preparing the gifts of bread and wine on the makeshift altar we had created. My brother rang the dinner bell during the consecration, and I played a processional hymn on our family piano.

After Mass, we put the framed image of the Sacred Heart in the dining room between two wall sconces with candles while Father led us in some prayers. I don’t have a great memory when it comes to most things (from childhood all the way up to what happened yesterday!), but I DO remember the day growing up when my family enthroned our home to the Sacred Heart.

What does enthronement of the Sacred Heart mean?

Enthronement involves putting an image of the Sacred Heart on display in a prominent place in your home, and making an act of consecration, promising Jesus you will try to always make him King of your life.

How will this help our family? Jesus revealed His Sacred Heart to St. Mary Margaret Alacoque and told her about twelve promises He makes to everyone who honors His Sacred Heart. Make sure you read more about all the amazing promises on this blog, but the few that strike me include peaceful homes, all the graces needed for your state in life, and comfort during the troubles of life.

What do I need for an enthronement?

You will need to get an image of the Sacred Heart and choose a central place to put that image, perhaps in the living room or dining room of your home. You can make a little altar for the image to sit on, or you can hang it on the wall.

psstt–we have created a unique Sacred Heart print that you can sign and date when your home is enrolled! See this stunning piece of antique art HERE.

Set a date for the enthronement, and consider inviting friends and family to come participate with you. You could celebrate afterward with some cookies and juice or cake—this will make the day even more special and exciting for your kids!

What do I do for the ceremony?

You can do this ceremony one of two ways.

First, ask your parish priest if he could come over and lead the enthronement for you. It’s especially great if your parish priest is available AND can say a Mass for you in your home!

If your parish priest is busy or it doesn’t work out, then have the Dad of the home lead the prayers. Make sure that if your parish priest cannot perform the enthronement, you get your image of the Sacred Heart blessed separately before your ceremony.

Before the Enthronement Ceremony

Begin preparing your home for the ceremony! Begin all necessary cleaning, celebration preparations, and confirm that guest who will be attending (if any). Tell your young children what they can expect at the enthronement ceremony (you can find all the prayers HERE). If your children are very young, a simple explanation like, “We will carry our picture of Jesus and His Sacred Heart to its special spot and we will say some prayers to make Jesus the King of our Hearts and our Home” will suffice.

In my family, we had a night where we all painted images of the Sacred Heart and talked about what the image meant. My boys are little so we kept it very simple (what do you think the fire on Jesus’ heart means? Why is there a crown of thorns on his heart?). But they loved painting their own pictures of Jesus’ heart all together with us!

Day of the ceremony

Go to Mass together as a family (making your enthronement day a Sunday would make this easy). Make sure that your image of the Sacred Heart is set in a place of honor in your home. Once the ceremony is over, enjoy some time celebrating this beautiful day! We have some FREE Sacred Heart cupcake toppers to help you decorate!

After the ceremony

Keep your devotion to the Sacred Heart strong! Check out the nine First Fridays Devotion to do with your family. This is an easy way to renew your devotion to the Sacred Heart each month.

On the anniversary of the enthronement, you can have a little celebration to remember and reconsecrate your home. It would be especially great to invite the priest who enrolled your home to participate in the annual celebration!

Coming up for all families, the entire month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart. Be on the lookout for more resources on the Holy Heroes blog to help you celebrate! Make sure you subscribe to the blog below:

A final way you can keep the Sacred Heart central in your family’s life is with this Sacred Heart pillowcase. These can help everyone remember their consecration at each bedtime (as a bonus, this pillowcase also reminds us of the Immaculate Heart of Mary)!

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Cecilia

Cecilia loves reading, cooking, moming, and wifeing in reverse order. Most of the time, you will find her wrangling small people, but between the hours of seven and nine in the evening you will find her studying prayer, the intersections of psychology and theology, and the intricacy of human friendship.