The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) formally consecrated the U.S. to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 11, placing the nation and the Catholic Church under His care as the country approaches its 250th anniversary on July 4.
The consecration, approved by the bishops during their November 2025 meeting, took place during a Mass at the bishops’ spring plenary assembly at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe in Orlando, Florida.
USCCB President Archbishop Paul Coakley led the bishops in the Act of Consecration, entrusting the country’s past, present, and future to Jesus Christ.
“O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, You know the longings of our hearts, and You desire that we enjoy friendship with You,” the bishops prayed together. “From Your pierced side, You have poured out the wellspring of life for which we thirst. Your heart burns with the love for all people to return to a right relationship with You. We celebrate the abundant gifts You have given this nation, founded on the self-evident truths that our Creator has endowed all people with the right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
The bishops also prayed for reparation, healing, and reconciliation, asking that the wounds of the country be healed and that the Church serve as a sign pointing all people to God.
“We make reparation for the offenses against You and against human dignity that have taken place in this nation,” the prayer concluded. “May our hearts be united to Yours, so that our families and communities enjoy peace and happiness. May broken relationships be reconciled, injustice repaired, and the wounds of our land be healed. May Your holy Catholic Church serve as a sign pointing all nations to Your infinite love. O desire of nations and center of history, we ask You to bless these United States of America, You who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.”
In his homily before the consecration, Archbishop William Lori, vice president of the USCCB, described the act as one of both faith and hope.
“Consecration is an act of faith. It is an acknowledgement that history is not simply the story of what human beings can accomplish,” Archbishop Lori said. “It is the story of God's faithful love at work in the world. We give thanks for the blessings of these past 250 years, but we do so with a humble faith, recognizing that every nation stands in need of God's mercy, wisdom, and guidance.”
The archbishop called on the Church and the nation to seek healing for what is wounded, strength for what is good, and guidance toward “justice, peace, freedom, and respect for the dignity of every human person, especially the unborn, the immigrant, the poor, and the vulnerable.”
Archbishop Lori said the act declares that the future “does not belong merely to political movements, economic forces, or human plans,” but to God.
The Sacred Heart is a “visible sign” of the Father’s love and a “revelation of God’s love in the flesh,” the archbishop explained. He said the devotion points to a Savior who seeks not only obedience and service but also friendship and communion.
“To consecrate ourselves to the Sacred Heart is ultimately to accept Jesus’ invitation to remain in His love and to allow that love to shape every aspect of our lives — public and private,” Archbishop Lori said.
He also said the consecration requires humility about America’s past and present failings.
“To be sure, there have been moments of extraordinary witness and holiness, but there have also been moments of failure, division, and sin,” he said. “Consecration requires the humility to acknowledge both.”
Before the consecration, Archbishop Coakley noted the Mass also marked the 127th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart in 1899.
“As we venerate the Sacred Heart, let us reflect that we ourselves are Christ's disciples and must therefore follow Him, loving not with stony hearts, but with living hearts,” Archbishop Coakley said. “Let us then take part with all our hearts in this prayer, so that we may grasp the mystery of His love more clearly and experience its power more deeply.”
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