The current pilgrim icon is the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Knights of Columbus Councils in the Diocese will be hosting the icon for prayer services in parishes through next year.The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a profound and symbolic image in the Catholic Church, one that illustrates Jesus’ immense love and compassion for humanity. The Knights of Columbus are bringing this enduring image of Christ into parishes in our Diocese and around the world through their longstanding Pilgrim Icon Program, with the aim of fostering greater devotion to the Sacred Heart.
Through the Pilgrim Icon Program, Knights of Columbus Councils take turns hosting the framed icon for public prayer services or Holy Hours in their churches, scheduled through the State Council’s Regional Program Director. With 15 Knights of Columbus Districts in the Diocese of Harrisburg – and three to five councils per district – the icon will be moving through parishes for well over the next year.
The icon program originated in 1979 as a means of strengthening the faith and devotion of its members, their families, and the greater Church community. Icons over the years have included Our Lady of Guadalupe on four occasions, the Immaculate Conception twice, the Divine Mercy, Our Lady Help of Persecuted Christians in 2018-2020 and St. Joseph in 2021-2023. Since its inception, more than 191,000 council and parish prayer services have drawn more than 23 million participants worldwide.
With the current traveling icon, councils are encouraged to host a prayer service – such as a Sacred Heart Holy Hour – with the image on display, said Jerome Wood, Regional Program Director with the Pennsylvania State Council of the Knights of Columbus.
The pilgrim icon is a reproduction of the most famous image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, painted in 1767 by Pompeo Batoni and venerated in the Church of the Gesù in Rome. There are more than 300 replicas, provided by the Supreme Council, moving across the world for veneration. Each replica bears the blessing of the late Pope Francis.
“The idea is that there will be a devotional period in the church for people to pray, to see the icon and to foster their devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” Wood said.
“The principles of the Knights of Columbus are charity, unity and fraternity. We’re about helping Catholic men, and Catholic families, live their faith. The traveling icon is part of that,” he said.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which dates back to the 11th century, became prominent after St. Margaret Mary Alacoque’s visions of Jesus between 1673 and 1675, in which He revealed His Heart as a symbol of His love and the need for people to turn to greater devotion and prayer.
Representatives of the Pennsylvania State Council of the Knights of Columbus recently presented the 2021-2023 pilgrim icon of St. Joseph to Bishop Timothy Senior. From left are Wayne Freet, David Simms, Jerome Wood, Bishop Senior, Brian Smith, Mark Jago and David Bloomer.The image reveals rich symbolism: an exposed heart with a crown of thorns representing Jesus’ suffering for humanity; flames symbolizing the purifying power of His love, and a cross pointing to Jesus’ redemptive sacrifice; and a bloody wound reminding us of the wounds inflicted by the Roman soldier and by our sins.
In the Catholic Church, June is the month of the Sacred Heart, with the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus falling on June 27 this year.
As chairman of the icon program for the state, Wood said he has seen many blessings stem from the pilgrimage image.
“It has drawn back men and their family members who have fallen away from the Church, and I attribute that to prayer and the Holy Spirit. It has drawn men and their families into deeper practice of their faith, to have a greater devotion,” he said. “We know that our faith life can ebb and flow throughout our lives, and I’ve been gratified to see the icon program bring people into devotional Catholicism and live their faith life daily, beyond the four walls of the church.”
“Just as the previous icon of St. Joseph encouraged men in their devotion to the patron saint of families, we are certain the current icon will result in deeper devotion to Christ in the Sacred Heart,” Wood said.
Find out more about the Pilgrim Icon Program at this link and learn about the works and mission of the Knights of Columbus at www.kofc.org. Membership in the fraternal organization is open to practicing Catholic men who are at least 18 years old.
(Group photo by Chris Heisey, The Catholic Witness; icon photo courtesy of the Knights of Columbus.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
