There is some practical information to review before initiating a parish-wide Enthronement program. Below are some key points to help you prepare for Enthronement Ceremonies in your parish.
♥How and where do you begin?
As an individual, married couple or as a leadership committee, are you prepared? Have you been called to this work? Have you had the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart in your own family or community? It is extremely valuable if you can offer personal testimony to the power of the Sacred Heart in your own life. Have you sat down with your parish pastor to solicit his approval and his degree of involvement? Has he agreed to your involvement with him in a parish-wide Enthronement program or has he approved your work with individual families on a family-by-family basis? All of these above steps should be backed up with prayer.
♥What to do in a parish-wide program?
Pray. Each Sunday during the Prayers of the Faithful, ask for the blessings of the Holy Spirit on he coming parish Enthronement Program. Ask parishioners, shut-ins, children from religious education programs and parish school children to say each day, three times: “Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy Kingdom come in our parish through Mary.”
Give instructions. Run a brief explanation in each week’s parish bulletin, of the Enthronement and the importance of Christian family life in your parish. The pastor or deacon gives homilies directly or lay persons present information or workshops related to understanding the important principles of the Enthronement which can be delivered on successive weekends. Such subjects could include:
▪the importance of frequent attendance at Mass, frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist and visits to the Blessed Sacrament;
▪better understanding of God’s love for each of us, the ingratitude of mankind who do not recognize God’s gifts or who deliberately “dethrone” Him by their Godless actions in society;
▪the need to enter into a spirit of reconciliation within our own families, and a spirit of reparation and penance for our own sins and those of others;
▪how families can prepare themselves for the Enthronement through family prayer together such as the Rosary and the Triduum;
▪how to conduct the Enthronement in their own homes and the means of living the Enthronement after the ceremony.
It is important that the pastor or his designee point out the conditions for having the Enthronement which is outlined in Enthronement of the Sacred Heart by Father Francis Larkin, SS.CC.
As the parish lay coordinator(s) of this event, you will assist the process by signing up families that intend to Enthrone the Sacred Heart in their families. This will enable you to determine the number of “Enthronement Kits” needed. People should then make out checks to the parish to cover the expense of what is ordered for them.
Ask the pastor if he would like to have an Enthronement in his rectory. If he says yes, it is appropriate to invite all the priests, rectory office staff and other key parish leaders. He may also choose to have an Enthronement of the Sacred Heart in the parish at one of the Sunday Masses or at a special Mass during the week. There are unique Enthronement Ceremonials for priests, for parishes, schools, convents, and businesses.
♥What to do in a family-by-family program?
Through pastoral references and church bulletin announcements, build up a list of families that are interested in the Enthronement. Schedule visitations with the individual families in order to assist them in the preparation process. Order a limited supply of materials to meet the needs of a few families. Sometime during the visitations, point out that a donation will be requested to cover the expenses of materials. Cover your activity as an apostle with prayer and sacrifice, your own and others.
