by Moira Cullings
moira.cullings@theleaven.org
LEAWOOD — Parishioners at St. Michael the Archangel Parish here are opening their hearts — and homes — to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
For the past few months, they’ve gathered in neighborhood groups to enthrone their homes to the Sacred Heart.
“We want to really invite Jesus into our homes to honor Christ,” said pastor Father Brian Schieber, “and to be the heart and center of our homes.
“This will be really beautiful if we have all these homes consecrated to the Sacred Heart.”
‘Back into the heart of Christ’
Father Schieber announced the neighborhood enthronement idea to the parish on Dec. 29, 2024, the feast of the Holy Family.
The first source of inspiration came from Pope Francis’ Oct. 2024 encyclical “Dilexit nos” (“He Loved Us”), which called the church back to the heart of Jesus, said Father Schieber.
And June 16 of this year was the 350th anniversary of when Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in what became known as the “great apparition.”
“As we reflected on this, I’ve always felt that there’s grace to cooperate with the movement of the Spirit,” said Father Schieber. “And the Holy Spirit is drawing the whole church back into the heart of Christ.”
The enthronement is the second pillar in a two-part parish initiative titled “Heart to Heart.”
“The first heart is through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,” said Nick Johnson, director of discipleship at St. Michael, “and especially through her messages at Medjugorje.”
In 1981, a series of alleged apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary began in Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (The Vatican sees the spiritual value of Medjugorje but has not made a judgment on the authenticity of the Marian apparitions.)
St. Michael is encouraging parishioners to commit to a rule of life inspired by one of the messages, the five stones: Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, daily meditation on Scripture, daily rosary, monthly confession, and fasting or another form of penance.
The second “Heart to Heart” pillar is the enthronement, and more than 80 households have already participated.
St. Michael hopes to boost participation throughout the year, particularly as the church celebrates the month of the Sacred Heart in June and its feast day June 27.
‘Empowering individuals and households’
St. Michael has utilized a website (welcomehisheart.com) as a guide for the enthronement.
Participants choose a Sacred Heart image and prepare a place in their homes where it will be displayed. They prepare with prayer before they gather for the enthronement and bring their images to be blessed.
A priest — typically Father Schieber — or deacon leads the enthronement.
A key element for St. Michael, which has some 2,600 families in the parish, is the neighborhood aspect.
“This initiative is intentionally not gathered at the parish,” said Johnson. “It’s intentionally building up and empowering individuals and households rather than parish life.”
Johnson utilized a tool called Maply to create groups based on where parishioners live, and the hosts, who volunteer, are also encouraged to invite their friends.
“The enthronements have been really powerful for our parishioners to recognize how many fellow parishioners live on their street [or] in their neighborhood that they don’t know,” said Johnson.
“[We’re] trying to facilitate encounters that maybe don’t naturally happen with a parish of our size and within the reality of what suburban life is,” he added.
Joe and Kristal Ronnebaum were excited to host an enthronement on May 1.
“The blessings and outpouring of graces bestowed upon this home and our family is such a precious gift,” said Kristal.
“Getting to see the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus prominently placed within our home every day will remind us of what’s good, true and beautiful,” she added.
Twenty-seven people participated in the enthronement that evening.
“One of the best parts of the night for me was having parishioners I didn’t know coming together to share in the experience,” said Joe.
“Oftentimes at St. Michael’s events, we tend to migrate to the familiar faces and share the experience with those we know best,” he continued. “This experience allowed us to branch out a bit to enjoy the experience with a larger community.”
‘His love is pouring out’
Many fruits can come from enthroning a home, said Johnson.
“We submit our joys, our sufferings, our successes, our failures,” he said, “and we recognize that [Jesus is] using this to transform our hearts and then transform the world.”
Johnson believes the devotion’s ripple effect is powerful.
“[Jesus’] love is pouring out infinitely,” he said. “His Sacred Heart is burning for each of our hearts and our homes. It’s us that need to recognize and open our capacity to receive his love.
“Recognizing that first, and then opening our hearts and our homes to receive that love, is where real culture and world change comes in.”
Thank you, Moira –
You always present such well written and timely articles! Your presence speaks volumes. God bless you for all your efforts!