Ohio: Bishop David Bonnar of the Diocese of Youngstown is inviting the faithful to rekindle their spiritual connection with the Sacred Heart of Jesus as part of a diocesan-wide renewal. In his latest pastoral letter, “Take Heart! Do Not Lose Heart! Behold the Sacred Heart!”, released this June, Bishop Bonnar calls on clergy, religious, and laypeople alike to intentionally deepen their devotion throughout this Jubilee Year honoring the Sacred Heart.
Marking his third pastoral letter since assuming leadership, the bishop encourages parishioners to make a conscious effort to pray before the image of the Sacred Heart whenever they enter their churches. “Let us be intentional in acknowledging and praying before the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” he wrote, emphasizing the symbolic and spiritual importance of this centuries-old devotion.
Earlier this year, at the Chrism Mass, every priest in the diocese received an image of the Sacred Heart from the diocese a gesture Bishop Bonnar hopes will enrich the priests’ prayer spaces and reinforce their call to serve with Christ’s compassion and care. He also urged the faithful to extend this sacred focus into their homes by displaying and revering images of the Sacred Heart in their personal prayer spaces.
The bishop cited inspiration from Pope Francis’ final encyclical Dilexit Nos (He Loved Us), which reflects on the deep human and divine love radiating from Christ’s heart. “The Holy Father’s words stirred something profound in me,” Bishop Bonnar wrote, “a desire to return to the Sacred Heart and invite the whole diocese to do the same.”
A significant highlight of this diocesan initiative will be the solemn enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in every parish church on September 28, marking the conclusion of the 350th Jubilee of the Sacred Heart. The enthronement ceremony, he explained, is a powerful ritual in which participants venerate an image of the Sacred Heart, affirming Christ’s kingship in their lives and communities.
Bishop Bonnar also announced that this act of enthronement will be mirrored during the upcoming clergy convocation, where he and his brother priests will consecrate themselves anew to the Sacred Heart. “We will gather as one presbyterate to pray for the grace and strength needed to shepherd God’s people with the heart of Christ,” he stated.
Reflecting on the election of Pope Leo XIV, the bishop noted the new pontiff’s connection to Saint Augustine, whose teachings also resonate with the themes of divine love and unity expressed through the Sacred Heart. “The rise of Pope Leo XIV is a signpost,” Bishop Bonnar wrote, “pointing the Church once more toward the heart of Jesus.”
He concluded the letter with a heartfelt prayer that this renewed devotion will lead to spiritual transformation, deeper compassion, and a surge in vocations to priesthood, religious life, and marriage. “May this long and loving gaze at Jesus’ Sacred Heart shape us into a people of empathy, mercy, and openness people who carry His heart into the world,” the bishop wrote.
The Diocese of Youngstown now enters this sacred season with hearts open and eyes fixed on the loving heart of Christ a symbol of hope, healing, and unity for a Church on pilgrimage.