The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is the solemn placing of an image of the Sacred Heart in a place of honour in the home and the consecration of the family to him, so that Christ is acknowledged as the King and Friend of the household. It was begun by Father Mateo Crawley-Boevey in 1907 with the blessing of Saint Pius X and spread through the whole Church; Pius XII commends devotion to the Sacred Heart in Haurietis Aquas, and the Directory on Popular Piety lists family consecration to the Sacred Heart — the family dedicated to Christ 'so that he might reign in the hearts of all its members' — among the devotions explicitly approved and recommended by the Apostolic See. It is ideally led by a priest, but where none is available the head of the household leads the family prayer.

What you need

• An image or statue of the Sacred Heart, and a place of honour for it (a shelf, a small table, the main room)
• A priest or deacon invited to bless the image and lead the ceremony, or the family's own preparation to lead it
• The text of the act of consecration of the family to the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart
• Candles and flowers for the place of enthronement; a Bible
• The whole family present, with any friends who are invited

When to pray it

Any day; often on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, on a First Friday, in June, or at a moment of family importance such as moving into a new home.

Steps

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   Step 1: Choose the image and the place

   Choose a worthy image of the Sacred Heart, painted or carved, and decide where it will stand: a place of honour in the room where the family gathers. Prepare the place with a clean cloth, candles and flowers before the ceremony. The image is not yet put in place; it is enthroned during the prayer.

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   Step 2: Invite the priest or prepare as a family

   Ask your parish priest or a deacon to come and bless the image and lead the enthronement; many parishes are glad to do this. If no priest is available, the father or mother of the family leads. Before the day, go to confession as a family if you can, attend Mass and receive Holy Communion, and read through the prayers together so that everyone knows their part.

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   Step 3: Gather and bless the image

   Gather around the prepared place. Begin with the Sign of the Cross. The priest blesses the image with the Church's blessing for sacred images and sprinkles it with holy water; if a lay person leads, the family asks God's blessing on the image in their own words or with a prayer from a family prayer book, since the liturgical blessing is reserved to a priest or deacon. Then the head of the household, or a child, places the image in its place of honour and lights the candles.

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   Step 4: Listen to the Word of God

   Read a short passage of Scripture: Matthew 11:25-30 ('Come to me, all you who labour... learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart'), John 19:31-37 (the pierced side) or Ephesians 3:14-19 are often used. The priest or the reader may add a few words on what the family is doing.

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   Step 5: Pray the act of consecration of the family

   The head of the household, or the whole family together, prays the act of consecration of the family to the Sacred Heart: acknowledging Jesus as King of the home, asking him to bless the family in its joys and sorrows, remembering absent and departed members, and promising to keep him at the centre of the household. Pray an Our Father▾, a Hail Mary▾ and a Glory Be▾ for the members of the family who are absent, and the Eternal Rest▾ for those who have died.

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   Step 6: Make the family's promises

   The family promises together to honour the enthroned image, to pray before it, and to make the Sacred Heart the heart of the home. Some families sign a certificate of enthronement and keep it near the image. Many also consecrate the family to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at the same time, with a Hail Mary▾ or the Memorare▾.

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   Step 7: Pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart and receive the blessing

   Pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus▾ together, with one person leading and the family answering 'have mercy on us.' The priest then blesses the family; if a lay person leads, close with a Glory Be▾ and the Sign of the Cross. A hymn to the Sacred Heart and a shared meal afterwards are the traditional way to end.

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   Step 8: Keep the image honoured

   Let the enthroned image become the place of the family's prayer: the evening prayer, the Rosary, grace before meals said facing it. Keep a candle or flowers there on feasts and First Fridays, and renew the family consecration each year on the anniversary. The enthronement is kept alive by the ordinary habit of turning to the Lord in his own house.

Tips

• The image should stand somewhere the family actually lives, not a corridor; the point is that the Lord shares the household's daily life.
• Keep the ceremony short enough for children; the meaning is carried by the act of consecration and the blessing, not by length.
• If some family members are absent or estranged, name them in the prayers; the enthronement is for the whole family.
• Renew the family's consecration each year on the anniversary or on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart.