The Jesuits (Society of Jesus) will close a special Ignatian Year on July 31, the feast of St. Ignatius Loyola, with a special renewal of their consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The Ignatian Year opened with a solemn Mass in Pamplona, Spain, on May 20, 2021, commemorating the 500th anniversary of St. Ignatius’s cannonball injury during the Battle of Pamplona on May 20, 1521.
Fr. Arturo Sosa, SJ, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, announced on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart that on July 31, 2022, at the closing of the Ignatian Year, he
will renew the Consecration of the Society to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The Jesuits have a long history with spreading devotion to the Sacred Heart, as Jesuit priest St. Claude La Colombière was St. Margaret Mary Alacoque‘s spiritual director. He was instrumental in helping her promote devotion to the Sacred Heart.
Furthermore, Fr. Pieter Jan Beckx, SJ, first consecrated the Jesuits to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on January 1, 1872 and this consecration was renewed on June 9th, 1972, by Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ.
Resources for the consecration are being promoted by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer), which has always maintained a special devotion to the Sacred Heart and is a ministry that was entrusted to the Jesuits.
