June 14, 2026

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, We might be past the Easter season, but the special celebrations continue! This weekend, we are celebrating the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Sunday. Normally, this celebration takes place on a Friday a couple weeks after Pentecost, but this year, Bishop Raica and many other bishops in our country have transferred it to Sunday. On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of our country’s independence, we are consecrating the United States to Jesus’ Sacred Heart, and so it is very appropriate to celebrate the feast day on a Sunday, so that more people can participate. What exactly does that consecration mean? Basically, to consecrate something means to entrust it into God’s hands and purposes. During a time when the hearts of so many people in our country have become so distant from each other, it’s especially appropriate to call upon the gentle, merciful, and reconciling heart of Jesus as a model for our common life. I think it’s good for us to recognize that every blessing we enjoy flows ultimately from God’s generous heart, not any special merit of our own. And since so many of our country’s basic values—life, freedom, mutual respect, and shared commitment to the common good—speak to the deep aspirations of all people, the consecration to the Sacred Heart is a way of recommitting ourselves to those founding principles with a spirit of gratitude and stewardship. I would propose this prayer of consecration to the Sacred Heart for each of our families, in union with our bishops and the Catholic faithful throughout the country. "O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, you know the longings of our hearts, and you desire that we enjoy friendship with you. From your pierced side, you have poured out the wellspring of life, for which we thirst. Your heart burns with a love for all people to return to a right relationship with you. We celebrate the abundant gifts you have given this nation, founded on the self-evident truths that our Creator has endowed all people with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We make reparation for the offenses against you and against human dignity that have taken place in this nation. May our hearts be united to yours, so that our families and communities enjoy peace and happiness; may broken relationships be reconciled, injustices repaired, and the wounds of our land be healed. May your holy Catholic Church serve as a sign, pointing all people to your infinite love. O Desire of Nations and Center of History, we ask you to bless these United States of America. Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen!" God bless,

Father Jantz