The US Declaration of Independence was signed July 4, 1776, so the feast of the Sacred Heart next year will be just a few weeks before the anniversary date.
The bishops voted overwhelmingly (215 to 8) to recognize this important historical milestone by publicly dedicating the country to Christ. The dedication will take place on June 12, 2026 (the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart) or the night prior, during the U.S. bishops’ spring meeting to be held in Orlando.
The custom of devotion to the Sacred Heart
Bishop Kevin Rhodes of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, the leader of the bishops' Committee on Doctrine, noted before the vote that Pope Pius XII talked about consecration as a way to recognize Christ’s kingship.
In his encyclical “On Devotion to the Sacred Heart,” Pope Pius XII wrote,
It is likewise Our most fervent desire that all who profess themselves Christians and are seriously engaged in the effort to establish the kingdom of Christ on earth will consider the practice of devotion to the Heart of Jesus as the source and symbol of unity, salvation and peace.
The bishop also referenced Pope Francis who saw devotion to the Sacred Heart as a wellspring of peace and unity. Pope Francis' last encyclical was about devotion to the Sacred Heart, called "Dilexit nos" (He Loved Us). In that document, Pope Francis wrote,
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.
Consecration in 2026
Many countries around the world have been dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Indeed, just earlier this year, Irish bishops renewed the consecration of their country, which first occurred 152 years prior.
While the United States has been formally consecrated to Mary several times (its patroness is the Immaculate Conception), this will be the first formal consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The USCCB echoed Bishop Rhodes by announcing on social media, “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.”
Leading up to the consecration, the bishops plan to hold a novena, and catechetical resources and other opportunities will be available for the faithful to engage on a local level through “adoration and works of mercy.”
Looking forward to June, the First Reading on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart calls to mind why this devotion is central to our faith, “God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.”