(L/R) Rev. Shane Sullivan, Rev. Fr John Mockler, Rev. Fr Shane Gallagher and Dom Basil Mary McCabe with Pope Francis and the blessed pilgrim statues destined for Ireland to begin The 2025 Jubilee Sacred Heart Crusade of Love and Hope. Photo credit: Vatican Media. Excitement grows as 4 Sacred Heart statues blessed by Pope Francis will make their way to Ireland in the next weeks as part of the ‘All Ireland Sacred Heart Crusade of Love and Hope’.
On January 8 these four statues were blessed by the Pope with the witness of four Irish priests: Rev. Shane Sullivan, Rev. Fr John Mockler, Rev. Fr Shane Gallagher and Dom Basil Mary McCabe OSB
“These statues will soon begin their pilgrimage journey to the four provinces in Ireland,” explained Fr John Mockler. Within each province, the pilgrim Sacred Heart Statue will visit “as many parish clusters as possible, with a celebration of the Sacred Heart and a hope that Sacred Heart devotion will be revitalised and act as a reminder and proclamation of the Sacred Heart promises.”
What are the benefits of this initiative or what are its benefits for us people of Ireland in this Jubilee year? “The answer lies in the 12 great promises made by the Sacred Heart 350 years ago to St Margaret Mary in Paray-le-Monial,” Fr John Mockler told this paper. Already we see the great need for such a crusade… The healing and consolation of the Sacred Heart as a safe refuge to return to is now so needed… As St Augustine notes “Our hearts are restless Oh Lord until they rest in Thee,” the priest added.
The Sacred Heart Crusade in Ireland will conclude in a celebration at Ireland’s International Eucharistic and Marian Shrine in Knock, on June 22, 2025, where Archbishop Eamon Martin will renew the consecration of Ireland to the Sacred Heart, which was first made over 150 years ago.
For this Jubilee year, pilgrim statues of the Sacred Heart blessed by the Pope will travel throughout Ireland to revitalise the faith for the 350th anniversary of this devotion. To help launch and raise awareness Eurovision winner Dana (honoured as Dame by the Pope last year) is hosting a concert entitled ‘Cross & The Cloak’ which will be held on Sunday, February 2 in The Abbeyleix Manor Hotel, Co. Laois. Tickets are available on from Eventbrite, or for more details phone Antoinette at 0860803047.