Brought Together by
the Sacred Heart of Jesus
In the month of July, around 1,500 collaborators from the Heralds of the Gospel gathered at the Tabor Formation House, located in Caieiras (Brazil), for the institution’s 18th international congress, held in two sessions.
The central theme of the congress was the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The expositions addressed historical and spiritual aspects of this devotion, as well as the messages transmitted by the Redeemer in private revelations approved by the Church, such as those of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and Sr. Josefa Menéndez. It also dealt with the need for a complete conformation of man’s mentality with that Divine Model, through the exchange of hearts.
Each day the programme began with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with Benediction and a period of prayers, followed by a processional rosary towards the auditorium. There, the expositions were held, after which everyone gathered in study circles to reflect on the different themes. Meals were an occasion for a blessed conviviality among family and friends, and the day ended with the celebration of Holy Mass in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Feast of Our Lady of Carmel – On the occasion of the liturgical commemoration of the Virgin of Mount Carmel on July 16, the Heralds of the Gospel organized various Eucharistic Celebrations with processions, imposition of the scapular and talks. The photos depict the activities carried out in the Basilica of St. Joseph and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Mexico; at the Heralds’ house in Juiz de Fora, Brazil; at the Church of the Mother of Good Counsel, in Paraguay; at Our Lady of Carmel Parish, in Uruguay; at the St. Isidore Community and the house of the Heralds, in Mozambique.
Spain – On June 23, approximately 1,200 people who had already consecrated themselves to Jesus through the Blessed Virgin in the course offered by the Reconquest Catholic Formation Platform of the Heralds of the Gospel renewed their consecration, entrusting themselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the emblematic Shrine of Cerro de los Ángeles. Holy Mass was celebrated, followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and a procession along the shrine’s esplanade.
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) – Cardinal Orani João Tempesta, O Cist, Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, presided over the Military Easter Mass on June 28, held at the Cathedral of St. Sebastian. The ceremony was attended by representatives of the three branches of the Armed Forces, the Fire Department, the Federal Highway Police and the Military Police, along with the participation of the choir of the Heralds of the Gospel Major Seminary, which embellished the celebration with its music.
Montes Claros (Brazil) – On July 2, young people prepared by the Heralds of the Gospel received their First Holy Communion at the Church of Our Lady of Claríssimos Montes.
El Salvador – On July 23, the Santa Ana Cathedral, in the homonymous city in El Salvador, received a visit from the Pilgrim Statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. On the occasion, there was the solemn crowning of Our Lady’s statue, followed by the celebration of Holy Mass.
Peru – On July 7th, the Pilgrim Statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary visited the Cathedral of Chiclayo, and was received with great fervour by the faithful. Around the same time period, the Parish of St. John the Baptist in the city of Acobamba, in the Peruvian mountains, also hosted the statue of the Blessed Virgin who, in addition to the parish church, visited health care and educational centres, as well as public institutions.
Dominican Republic – Numerous activities were carried out in this country in recent months, including the ceremonies of consecration as a slave of love to the Blessed Virgin, according to the method of St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, the preparation of young people and adults for First Communion and Confirmation, and visits with the Pilgrim Statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to residents, schools, old age homes and hospitals. There was no barrier that Our Lady did not cross, no place where She withheld her presence, and, most of all, no heart that She did not enter and conquer.
Mozambique – Among the activities of Herald priests in this African country, service to the local communities occupies a special place. The photos show the well-attended Masses celebrated at the Quasi-Parish of St. Joseph in Matola-Gare and in the St. Vincent Community.
Campo Grande (Brazil) – On July 27, the Pilgrim Statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary visited the office of the vice-governor of the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Dr. José Carlos Barbosa.
Lauro de Freitas (Brazil) – On July 8th, cooperators and friends of the Heralds of the Gospel of Bahia State participated in another “Afternoon with Mary”, with the presence of Fr. José Ricardo Basso, EP.