To mark the 250th anniversary the United States, Catholic bishops from across the nation will come together Thursday to consecrate the country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The church service, part of the bishops’ spring assembly meeting in Orlando, Florida, draws from a mainstream, centuries-old Catholic devotion that focuses on Jesus’ sacrificial love for humanity. Many Catholics hold similar dedications of their homes and businesses.
At the same time, the devotion to the Sacred Heart has also taken on political overtones and drawn controversy elsewhere. Sometimes it has been connected with Catholic nationalism; at other times it has been promoted as the opposite — as an antidote to the idolatry of the state.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops intends to use the consecration service to promote service to God, country and the needy, said Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, who chairs the bishops’ committee on religious liberty.
“As we reflect with gratitude on the blessings God has bestowed on our country, our devotion to the Sacred Heart demands that we consider how we might foster truth, justice and charity in American life,” Sample said in a video promoting the service.
Other countries dedicated to the Sacred Heart
This would be the first time U.S. Catholic leaders have held such a service, though it’s not unprecedented.
Bishops in several other co …