Contemplative Haven

NATIONAL CONSECRATION OF CANADA
TO THE SACRED HEART

The prayer I am posting here is taken from a little yellow booklet entitled, “Prayers and Hymns in Honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Crusade of Prayer for Victory and Peace”, published in 1943 by an Ottawa newspaper, Le Droit.  On the inside of the front page we see: 

Nihil obstat:
R. Limoges, ptre., censor liborum, Ottavae, die 24 Aprilis 1943.

Imprimatur:
J.H. Chartrand, Vic. Gen., Ottavae, die 26 Aprilis 1943.

The booklet itself is actually dated July 4, 1943 (which I did not verify, but am presuming was the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that year).  This is all the information I have.  I googled the title, as well as the specific prayer I’m using in this post, but to no avail. The booklet came into my possession through either my mother or father, both of whom are deceased; I have many of their old Catholic missals, prayer books, holy cards, booklets, pamphlets, etc. 

It is entirely possible that I am the only person in Canada who still has a copy of this booklet.  For all I know, I may also be the only person in Canada who has even seen this prayer since World War II.  But since the Morgentaler debacle which I outlined in my previous post, I want to ensure I will not be lying on my deathbed still being the only one who knows of its existence and its importance.

So any Canadians reading here, please take this prayer.  Pray it.  Blog it.  Distribute it.  Get it into your parishes; give it to your priests; mail it to your bishops and archbishops.  Do you see that word “crusade” in the booklet’s title?  Let’s begin one, together.

National Consecration of Canada to the Sacred Heart:

“O Divine Saviour, Who, to console the sorrows of Thy Church and to heal the ills of society, hast deigned to reveal with radiant clearness the immense goodness of Thy Sacred Heart; O glorious Leader of the army of Thine elect, Thou Who hast made of Thy Heart the symbol and channel of Thy Love, the banner and pledge of our victory; O Christ, Who lovest Canada and Who hast chosen it to be the centre from which this devotion has spread throughout the New World, deign to accept the prayers of Thy servants who desire to respond to Thy invitation and to merit for our country the fulfilment of Thy merciful promises.

We consecrate ourselves entirely to Thy divine Heart; we offer Thee the homage of our souls and bodies, all that we are and all that we possess. We know that we are already Thine, O Jesus, because we have nothing for which we are not indebted to Thy Love. But we wish henceforth to belong to Thee in a special manner, to submit ourselves unreservedly to Thy reign, to keep our eyes constantly fixed on Thy Heart that we may imitate Its virtues, make Its wishes the rule of our private and public life, and use all our influence for the triumph of Its divine interests. May the blame be not ours, O Jesus, if in the future Thou shalt not reign by Thy love in our families, our cities, and throughout the whole nation.

O Mary, sweet Mother of Jesus, O Queen of Canada, thou who alone dost perfectly and worthily know and honour the Heart of thy Son, help us to put into practise with a boundless and unshakeable constancy this consecration which we now make. Do thou offer us to Him; dedicate to Him this country which has been thine since its discovery, and make of it, under the influence of the Heart of Jesus, the right arm of the Church and the instrument of His great works of love. Amen.”