Pastor’s Corner - Rev. Anthony J. Manuppella, KHS - May 4, 2008

Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

and the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Your Homes

It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you the “Alliance of the Two Hearts” which is a group of Brothers and Sisters and Priests founded in the Philippines.  Their central headquarters in the United States is in Dover, Delaware.

They will be willing to go to your home and enthrone the “Two Hearts” of Jesus and Mary.

What a blessing it would be for you and for our Parish!

Today, after Mass the Brothers and Sisters will be available to take your name, address and phone number and a good and convenient time for them to visit.

Since we are a Parish whose foundations of success rest on the Eucharistic Heart of Christ and our love for the Blessed Virgin Mary, I heartily encourage and endorse this beautiful act of homage in your homes.

Here are some questions and answers about enthronement:

What is an “Enthronement”?

It is a solemn act of placing God at the center of people’s lives especially as a family.  Through a solemn rite, the members of the family accept “holiness” as a state to which God calls each one of them.  In the Alliance of the Two Hearts House-to-House Enthronement (known formally as House-to-House Evangelism), Jesus is Lord and is worshipped as the King of the family.  Mary, on the other hand, is the Mother of Our Lord, our model for holiness and is honored as the Queen of the home.  (N.B. For conversion to take place in a family, the parents and the children go to Confession if a Priest enthrones the home.)

When we enthrone the Two Hearts, what exactly is the role of Mary?

When we enthrone the holy pictures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, it means that we worship Jesus as the Son of God and we honor Mary as the Mother of God.  It does not mean that we worship her as God.  We honor her because Jesus wanted it so (John 19:25-27).  She is a human being who has been prepared from the beginning by God to bear Jesus in her virginal womb.  The recognition of the Alliance of the Two Hearts does not in any way intend to make Mary divine.  As St. John Eudes explained, Mary is the author of the Heart of Jesus; he refers to their Hearts as “one single Heart”, a unity which is an integral part of the very mystery of the Incarnation.  (cf. “Alliance of the Two Hearts:  Core of Our Faith, Manila:  THMO, 1955).

How is the Enthronement Rite done?

Different religious organizations have different ways of enthroning homes.  The Alliance of the Holy Family International movement uses the “Enthronement Rite Booklet” approved by the AHFI founding bishops and by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith.  In brief, the procedure and prayers include:  Examination of Conscience, Act of Contrition, Prayer to the Holy Spirit, Bible Reading (1 Corinthians 13:1-11 and John 15:9-17), a short talk by the promoter, witnessing (optional), Prayer to St. Michael, the Prayer for the Home, Procession and Blessing of the House, Consecration to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Praying of the Rosary and Scapular Investiture.  Songs of praise will help enliven this solemn rite.

Either a cleric or a lay leader can preside over the enthronement procedure.  The host family receives a picture of the Alliance of the Two Hearts which they enthrone in the family altar.  Ideally, the statue of Our Lady of Fatima and/or the Holy Family may also be brought to the host family.  There the image will stay for a week while the family prays the Rosary together every day.  After a week, the image is transferred to another family where the enthronement of the Two Hearts will be held.  In cases where enthronements are done every day and in many homes by a busy apostolate group, it will suffice that an Alliance of the Two Hearts picture and the family acts of piety prayer guide be left with the family. 

Other religious articles needed in the ceremony include:  the Bible, crucifix, holy water, candles, rosaries, brown scapulars and the certificate of enthronement.

What is being promoted during the enthronement?

The Enthronement promotes to the family the living of the “daily” and “monthly” Communion of Reparation.  By “daily” it means, praying of the Rosary, going to Holy Mass, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament whenever possible, and examining one’s conscience at the end of the day.  If at the extreme case daily Mass is impossible, one can say the “Spiritual Communion Prayer” instead.  By “monthly”, it means inviting the family to honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus on First Fridays and the Immaculate Heart of Mary on First Saturdays of the month.  It means going to Confession, attending Mass on both days, making the Nine Holy Hours in honor of the Two Hearts, during the All Night Reparation Vigil at the Parish with the intention of making reparation for all our sins, our family’s and the world’s.  This is God’s love in actual giving and our response to His love. It is also the love of one’s neighbor for in the practice of living the Communion of Reparation, we aspire for holiness of life, for the spiritual well-being of others by maintaining a good relationship within the family, with others, and in the larger community.

Why do we need to consecrate to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary?

We are living in a time of so much evil, where sin is no longer considered a sin and where society believes no longer in the existence of God.  We need to choose whose side we are on and which direction we are headed:  good or evil.  A decision to do good needs a change of heart and mind, a spiritual transformation.  We are not fighting flesh and blood, but principalities of darkness.  (Ephesians 6:12)

Consecration to Jesus means total giving of oneself to God, while consecration to Mary means allowing her to be truly our Mother who will bring us closer to Jesus.  The consecration to the Two Hearts empowers us to detach ourselves from sin and unite ourselves to Jesus by imitating the life of Mary.  (cf “Alliance of the Two Hearts:  Core of Faith”, p. 105.)