The premise is simple:
Place images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary in your home as a reminder of their centrality to family life, and renew your devotion to Christ and his Blessed Mother. It’s called home enthronement, and cluster parishes in Hills, Lone Tree and Nichols are embracing the practice.
St. Joseph’s in Hills and St. Mary parishes in Lone Tree and Nichols, Iowa gave a total of 150 home enthronement packets to Mass attendees the weekend of May 26-27. Catholics also spoke at those Masses about how the devotion has enriched their spiritual lives.
The enthronement ceremonies the Catholics took part in involved a blessing, prayer and promise to dedicate one’s home and self to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary.
“The Enthronement is more than a blessing of the Sacred Heart picture for the home,” reads a ceremony guide produced by the Priests of the Sacred Heart. It is the dedication of a person and family to the Divine Heart of Jesus, for us to live in union with him by love, grace and obedience to his Commandments. The Enthronement brings countless graces and blessings, as enumerated in the Twelve Great Promises he made to Saint Margaret Mary.” In the visions of 17th-century French nun and mystic Margaret Mary Alacoque, Jesus promised graces, peace, consolation, blessings, mercy and more to people devoted to his Sacred Heart.
He was introduced to home enthronement by Terry Ball, who heard about it from the Knights of Columbus of St. Wenceslaus Parish in Iowa City. He and fellow Knight David Fetzer are working to promote home enthronement statewide, Sieren said.
Ball said part of the enthronement is committing to a spiritual devotion of your choice. For about a month, he and Mona have observed a daily time of prayer together in their kitchen, where images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary hang. “This is a powerful spiritual tool,” Ball said.
“Our homes need the enthronement to bring us the grace to deal with whatever happens in our lives and our homes,” said Hills parishioner Kay Evans.
