Today’s show is, as you’ve perhaps heard, about the beautiful act of enthroning your home (or business or retreat center…..) to Jesus and to His Blessed Mother.
Enthronement is very, very biblical. The act of dedicating the temple or livestock or a place in the home has roots going way back. The act of blessing children is, in a way, enthronement. The act of enthroning the Bible in a visible place in your home is a symbol of what we are speaking of in today’s show.. 
Some of you may know of or regularly listen to the iPadre Podcast with Fr. Jay Finelli. If you don’t know of it, I recommend you sign up through iTunes or through Father’s website. (http://www.ipadre.net/category/ipadre-podcast/) At any rate – Fr. Finelli is the pastor of Holy Ghost Parish in Tiverton, Rhode Island. Among many wonderful and evangelistic activities in his Church, the women’s organization sponsors Home Enthronement. Here is a ‘lift’ from their parish website.
Home Enthronement
Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a solemn act of placing Jesus Christ at the center of the family. There is a solemn ceremony inviting Jesus to be Lord and inviting Him to care for, protect and lead the family in His love. The Home Enthronement is not some kind of sentimental ceremony, where a picture (or statue) of the Sacred Heart is placed in the home and forgotten. Enthronement is a call and pledge to a way of life, it is a renewal and an embracing of our Baptismal vows. At the same time, there are the promises of Our Lord to all those who adore His image and live His call.
(At the Holy Ghost Parish in Tiverton,) The ceremony is two fold. A statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary comes to the home with prayer and song. The family is encouraged to have prayer for a short time each day. After 6 days, the statue of Mary Leaves and the statue of the Sacred Heart arrives. At the end of the three days, the ceremony of enthronement is celebrated.
In His visions to St. Margaret Mary, Jesus gave 12 promises to all who have devotion to His Sacred Heart and enthrone Him in their home, apartment, business, church, etc…
The 12 promises given to St. Margaret Mary:
- I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
- I will give peace in their families.
- I will console them in all their troubles.
- They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of death.
- I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
- Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
- Tepid souls shall become fervent.
- Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
- I will bless the homes in which the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honored.
- I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
- Those who propagate this devotion shall have their name written in My Heart, and it shall never be effaced.
- I promise thee in the excess of the mercy of My Heart, that its all-powerful Love will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of Nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving the Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.
Now there are several other sites you can look to for information about this activity. The following information is from the website www.enthronement.org
History and More About the Enthronement
Enthronement is the dedication of a person and family to the Divine Heart of Jesus, for us to live in union with Him by love, grace and obedience to His Commandments. The Enthronement brings countless graces and blessings, as enumerated in the Twelve Great Promises He made to St. Margaret Mary.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has existed throughout much of the history of the Church. However, in France in June 1675, Jesus instructed St. Margaret Mary Alacoque that He wished devotion to His Sacred Heart to be made known to the world. Through her efforts and those of St. Claude La Colombiere, and with the grace of God, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus did spread throughout the world. Jesus conveyed to St. Margaret Mary, Twelve Great Promises for those devoted to His Sacred Heart.
The modern day version of the devotion, whereby the Sacred Heart of Jesus is enthroned into homes, was started in the early 1900s by Father Mateo Crawley-Boevey of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Pope Pius X directed Father Mateo to make it his life’s work to bring the “entire world, home by home, family by family to the Sacred Heart”.
The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a beautiful devotion to the love that Jesus gives to us as we honor and return His love through our daily lives.
Enjoy more on the depth and spirituality of the awesome love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the history of the Church “Over the Centuries”.
ENTHRONEMENT AND DEVOTION IS WORLDWIDE
You can find evidence of the worldwide effort to spread devotion to the Sacred (and Immaculate) Heart(s) by visiting www.sacredheartapostolate.com Here is some information from this website:
Living in the company of our Lord Jesus
“When we open our heart to the love of God and to others, it makes us capable of shaping history according to God’s plan.” – John Paul II, Novo Millennio Ineunte, 2000.
According to Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, “Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a most effective means of living always in the company of our Lord Jesus whom we receive in Holy Communion. In other words, our devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is an extended act of love for Him who shows us the greatest possible love by offering His Body and Blood for us in the Eucharistic Sacrifice. In His fourth apparition to St. Margaret Mary, our Lord revealed His Sacred Heart, declaring:
“Behold this Heart which has so loved men that it spared nothing, even going so far as to exhaust and consume Itself, to prove to them Its love.”
The center of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the Enthronement of the image of the Sacred Heart in the home. By the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart, we link the tabernacle of our parish church to our home, inviting our Lord to be our constant and most intimate companion. The Enthronement is a way of life. It means that Christ is King of our hearts, and we desire Him to be present with us always.
In other words, by the Enthronement we signify our desire to make our hearts and our homes holy, to sanctify our lives in every aspect. Father Mateo Crawley-Boevey, SS.CC (1875-1961), great apostle of the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, insisted on its official and social characteristics. The Enthronement is the outward expression of an interior commitment to submit one’s whole life in obedience to Christ. It is social because it involves every member of the household in which we live and all our relationships with others, in and outside the home. Those who carry out the Enthronement always comment on the difference it makes in the relationships of family members with each other and in work, business, recreation and other relationships.
MEN OF THE SACRED HEARTS
I was so pleased to find a website started and maintained by men – Catholic men who are promoting this beautiful devotion. This website is found at www.menofthesacredhearts.org
I borrowed this text from their page about Home Enthronement.
When a family, business owner, or parochial school chooses to invite the Men of the Sacred Hearts to enthrone their home, place of business, or school to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, they are making a promise to keep Jesus first and foremost in their lives. They are also committing their family, interested fellow employees, and students/faculty to make time for daily prayer.
An Enthronement is a public recognition of Jesus as Lord and King of a home, business, or school. Those who elect to have their home, business, or school enthroned, consecrate themselves to Jesus by making a covenant of love with Him. Jesus told St. Margaret Mary that He would bless each place where a picture of His Sacred Heart is exposed and honored.
MENTIONED ON THIS SHOW
We mentioned and played portions of two songs by composer, singer and evangelist JULIE CARRICK. She’s a great speaker – and if you would like to be in contact with her or obtain her music, you can go to her websites: www.juliecarrick.com and www.carrickministries.com Julie was a previous and much-enjoyed guest on Catholic Vitamins. 🙂
We also mentioned author, calligrapher, picturer-framing friend, CANDY BRIDGES and her book MEET ME IN THE MOUNTAINS. 
Candy has just announced that she has an audio version of her book completed and released. You can find the audio version at www.audible.com And you can contact Candy (also a gourmet cook by the way) at www.candymariebridges.com
Finally – we pulled a name and gave away a copy of A BODY IN PRAYER – Praying From Head to Toe by NEIL M. COMBS. Thank you Neil for your generosity and thanks for being a prior guest on our show.
Pingback: Catholic Vitamin E: Enthronement Blog Page | CATHOLIC FEAST