Eighteenth-century image of the Sacred Heart, now being restored by the Knights, will be the centerpiece of a new Pilgrim Icon Program

By Cecilia Engbert

The Knights of Columbus is launching a new Pilgrim Icon Program in 2025 centered on the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The new prayer program — announced by Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly at the Organizational Meeting of State Deputies in June and at the 142nd Supreme Convention in August — coincides with the 350th anniversary of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque’s visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which began around 1674.

“Our Lord reminded [St. Margaret Mary] of that ancient and beautiful devotion, and she shared that gift with the world,” said Supreme Knight Kelly during the Supreme Convention’s annual States Dinner on Aug. 6. “In the heart of Christ, we see the heart of the Father, and we ask Our Lord to help us make his heart our own, so that we may see and love in others what he sees and loves in us. That is what the world needs. And on the 350th anniversary of St. Margaret Mary’s visions, we will make this mission our own.”

The Order’s founder, Blessed Michael McGivney, had a deep devotion to the Sacred Heart, fostered in him from childhood: The McGivney family had in their home an ornate devotional plaque of the Sacred Heart that is still in the Order’s possession. In 1881, when Father McGivney accompanied convicted murderer Chip Smith to the gallows, Smith wore a Sacred Heart badge given to him by the priest. A century later, when Father McGivney’s body was exhumed in 1981, it was discovered that he had been buried with a cloth image of the Sacred Heart.

The Knights selected a painting of the Sacred Heart by Italian artist Pompeo Batoni, located in Rome’s Church of the Gesù, to be the centerpiece of the new pilgrim icon program. Copies of the image, blessed by the papal almoner, will soon be given to each K of C jurisdiction and, beginning in 2025, will travel from council to council, serving as the focus for prayer services throughout the Order.

During their visit to Rome for the unveiling of the newly restored baldacchino in St. Peter’s Basilica, Supreme Knight Kelly and other Supreme Officers gathered Oct. 23 at the Church of the Gesù for a votive Mass of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus celebrated by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori. Jesuit Father James Conn, superior of the Pontifical North American College’s Casa Santa Maria, concelebrated and gave the homily.

The 325-year-old side chapel in which they gathered was renamed the Chapel of the Sacred Heart in 1920 when Batoni’s 1767 painting was placed above the altar. The Supreme Council has agreed to sponsor the restoration of the chapel, including Batoni’s painting, in honor of the 350th anniversary celebration.

In his homily, Father Conn called devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus “the symbol of the boundless and passionate love of God for humankind” and reflected on the all-encompassing intentions of the traditional “Morning Offering” prayers to the Sacred Heart. 

“I was very pleased to know that the Knights of Columbus had decided to reproduce this image and to share it with all of their members, especially during this coming Holy Year,” Father Conn added. “It occurred to me that that is what we seek as we contemplate the intentions of the Most Sacred Heart: What is it that Jesus desires? What is it that he hopes for? What is it that he desires of us and the world, seeking to redeem all mankind? It is our privilege, not just to reproduce this image, but to reproduce the reality of the boundless and compassionate love of God in our own lives and in our care for our brothers and sisters.”   

Pope Francis echoes these themes in his new encyclical dedicated to the Sacred Heart, Dilexit Nos (He Loved Us), which was published the following day, Oct. 24. 

“The heart of Christ, as the symbol of the deepest and most personal source of his love for us, is the very core of the initial preaching of the Gospel. It stands at the origin of our faith, as the wellspring that refreshes and enlivens our Christian beliefs,” Pope Francis writes (32). 

On Nov. 3, at the Midyear Membership Meeting of State Deputies outside Washington, D.C., the supreme knight reflected on the Sacred Heart of Jesus in light of the encyclical, encouraging all Knights to make devotion to the Sacred Heart a priority in their families.

“Devotion to the Sacred Heart is simple — it reminds us of God’s love for us. And it’s meant to inspire our love in return for Christ,” the supreme knight told the state deputies. “In many ways, this encyclical is perfect for the Knights of Columbus. The pope writes that we live in a fragmented and divided society, but the heart of Christ is a unifying center. The heart of Christ is the source of truth and goodness that we all need.”