Republican Rep. Riley Moore of West Virginia, a Catholic, introduced a House resolution on June 12, the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, recognizing the feast day and the recent consecration of the U.S. to the Sacred Heart by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
The resolution honors the Sacred Heart as the living sign and symbol of Christ’s divine love, mercy, humility, and reparation for sin. It also affirms the value of prayer, Eucharistic devotion, and priestly sanctification, and explicitly rejects “the exaltation of pride, self-idolatry, and rebellion against God.”
“The Sacred Heart of Jesus remains the furnace of divine charity, the refuge of sinners, the source of mercy, and the sure remedy for the wounds of a world disfigured by sin,” the resolution states.
The move comes one day after the USCCB consecrated the nation to the Sacred Heart during its spring assembly in Orlando, Florida, an action tied to America’s upcoming 250th anniversary. President Donald Trump also issued a statement June 11 in which he said he and first lady Melania Trump were joining the bishops in prayer.
Moore explained the devotional and historical roots of the resolution in a thread on X, encouraging the nation to “reclaim June for Jesus’ Sacred Heart.”
Quoting paragraph 478 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Moore said, “The Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation, is quite rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of that… love with which the divine Redeemer continually loves the eternal Father and all human beings without exception.”
The resolution traces the devotion’s liturgical expressions to 17th-century France, where St. John Eudes, a Norman priest, celebrated the solemnity with the priestly society he founded, the Congregation of Jesus and Mary. Moore also cited revelations to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, whom Christ showed “the flames of His ardent charity.” Jesus also called the faithful to Holy Communion, Eucharistic devotion, and reparation.
Around that same time, Christ revealed His Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a nun at the Monastery of the Visitation in Paray-le-Monial.
— Rep. Riley M. Moore (@RepRileyMoore) June 12, 2026
He showed her the flames of His ardent charity and called the faithful to Holy Communion and Eucharistic adoration, and reparation.
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Moore explained on X that the Sacred Heart later became a symbol of resistance and honor worn by Catholic peasants during the French Revolution’s Vendée uprising, a revolt against the Revolutionary government that had imposed anti-clerical policies and military conscription.
“Ever since,” Moore said, “this image has served as a symbol of Christ’s reign as King and His stand against the world’s forces.”
According to Moore, the Sacred Heart devotion took root in America in 1818 when St. Rose Philippine Duchesne founded a Society of the Sacred Heart convent and school in St. Charles, Missouri.
Moore highlighted ongoing observance of the Solemnity across America, pointing to West Virginia’s Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and the enthronement of the Sacred Heart in parishes and family homes.
“With my resolution, Congress joins the faithful in this devotion,” Moore wrote. “In an age that exalts pride, let us proclaim the truth: Humility is not weakness. It is conformity to Christ, who is meek and humble of heart. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us!”