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The French Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Paray-le-Monial recently concluded a four-day celebration marking the 350th anniversary of the apparitions of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French Visitation religious sister. These events took place from June 26 to 29 and attracted an increased number of visitors to the shrine, which is located in Burgundy, southeast of Paris. Cardinal François-Xavier Bustillo of Ajaccio, Corsica, served as the papal envoy for these celebrations.
The apparitions occurred between December 1673 and June 1675 in Paray-le-Monial. St. Margaret Mary wrote about how Jesus appeared to her and presented his heart as a symbol of love for humanity. She shared his request for a feast day honoring the Sacred Heart in reparation for offenses against the Blessed Sacrament. The feast was officially recognized by Pope Clement XIII in 1765 and extended to the universal church by Pope Pius IX in 1856.
Father Etienne Kern, rector of the shrine, stated that "this devotion to the Sacred Heart existed before the apparitions to St. Margaret Mary," but gained significant importance after them.
Today, Paray-le-Monial is a well-known pilgrimage site managed by the Emmanuel Community since 1986. The community organizes summer sessions that attract many visitors each year.
Father Kern emphasized that Jesus' message at Paray-le-Monial was "Jesus’ request for a response of love to his love." He noted that during St. Margaret Mary's time, God was often seen as distant despite widespread Mass attendance in France.
The jubilee coincided with Pope Francis' last encyclical “Dilexit Nos,” released in October 2024, which focused on Jesus' love as both intimate and missionary.
Over recent months, various pilgrimages and events were held under the theme “to return love for love.” A notable event was a "jubilee for singles" attended by 700 people from diverse backgrounds.
The jubilee also fostered connections with other sanctuaries linked to the Sacred Heart globally.
Since its foundation stone was laid on Montmartre hill on June 16, 1875, perpetual adoration has been held at Sacré-Coeur in Paris—a site closely tied with Paray-le-Monial's history.
As part of this jubilee year’s activities, an international theological conference took place in Rome addressing themes related to modern-day reparation requests made by Jesus centuries ago amid current church challenges like abuse crises.
“Many contemporaries are suffering...great confusion," Father Kern said regarding today's relevance of these messages originally given through St.Margaret Mary centuries ago—messages still holding potent significance today amid ongoing issues faced within society at large too according him adding: “In Paray-le-Monial...find peace.”
Caroline de Sury contributed reporting from Paris for OSV News.
