From the Desk of Father Nathan

St Gabriel Catholic Church | Pompano Beach

From the Desk of Father Nathan | June 14, 2020

celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

A Message from Father Nathan

Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

This Friday we are going to celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. One of the wonderful and meaningful Feasts that the Church celebrates. In one of the apparitions to St. Margaret Mary,

“I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that my all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in My disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My Divine Heart shall be the safe refuge in this last moment”. (Jesus to St. Margaret Mary)

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus goes back at least to the 11^th century, but through the 16^th century, it remained a private devotion, often tied to devotion to the Five Wounds of Christ, but it took the visions of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) for the devotion to become universal.

In all of these visions, in which Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary, the Sacred Heart of Jesus played a central role. The “great apparition” which took place on June 16, 1675, during the octave of the Feast of Corpus Christi, is the source of the modern Feast of the Sacred Heart.

In that vision, Christ asked St. Margaret Mary to request that the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus be celebrated on the Friday after the octave (or eighth day) of the Feast of Corpus Christi, in reparation for the ingratitude of men for the sacrifice that Christ had made for them. The Sacred Heart of Jesus represents not simply His physical heart but His love for all mankind.

The devotion became quite popular after St. Margaret Mary’s death in 1690, but because the Church initially had doubts about the validity of St. Margaret Mary’s visions, it wasn’t until 1775 that the Feast was officially in France. Almost 100 years later, in 1856 Pope Pius IX, at the request of the French bishops extended the Feast to the universal Church. It is celebrated on the day requested by our Lord – the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi or 19 days after Pentecost.

May God Bless You All.

Please Stay Safe and healthy!

Ever at your service.

– With lots of love and blessing,

—Fr. Sahayanathan Nathan

My dearest people who are close to my heart!

CHURCH OPENING, Beginning Monday, June 15th.

Prayerful greetings to you.

I hope you are doing great with the grace of our Lord. I could see lots of people have started to come back to church. I feel extremely delighted about it.

We will start having the Masses starting Monday, June 15^th inside the church. It’s going to be extremely challenging and draining, but we will venture into doing it.

We need your extreme cooperation, please help us by abiding by the updated guidelines.

The main door to the right in the front of the church will be only one door to be kept open.
You will be ushered in.
Families can sit together either the left and right sides of the aisles
The center aisles will seat 3
We will leave every other pew empty
Please leave mass the same way,
Please follow the social distancing and leave the church quickly so we can get ready for the next Mass.

This extremely sensitive and important, please cooperate with the ushers.

Please let me know if I can be of some help to you.

Learn More about the Safe Return to Mass in the Church