France: Jubilee Pilgrimage to Paray-le-Monial

One hundred years ago, in Paray-le-Monial, an effervescent saint reigned around the Eucharistic Museum of Hieron, earnestly petitioning Pope Pius XI to institute a feast in honor of Christ the King. This happened with the encyclical Quas Primas of December 11, 1925.

To celebrate this anniversary—as well as the 350th anniversary of the apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque—more than a thousand pilgrims gathered on March 2 in the City of the Sacred Heart. In his sermon, Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, who celebrated the pontifical Mass at the faldstool, recalled the intimate bond between the Heart of Jesus and His royalty.

In the afternoon, the sanctuary graciously opened the doors of the august Romanesque basilica, and a solemn procession of the Blessed Sacrament wound through the streets of Paray-le-Monial, in reparation for the offenses against the kingship of Our Lord.

It was opened by the Flavigny Seminary, a delegation from the Ecône Seminary, and several priests present for the occasion. Many sisters also made the trip.

The pilgrims had the opportunity to pass through the Holy Door to the Chapel of the Apparitions, to benefit from the Jubilee indulgence that the Church is offering until June 27.

Let us hope that the generous sunshine will be a harbinger of the numerous, luminous, and comforting graces granted by the Sacred Heart.