Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Quezon City - the Hope of the Hopeless

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Quezon City

In the modern confines of Quezon City were commerce thrives in the city, there were also some notable shrines in this city that are worth visiting, the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosario - La Naval de Manila in Quezon Avenue, Santuario de San Pedro Bautista in Frisco, the only church in the city established by a Saint, the Monasterio de Santa Clara, the direct successor of the original one in Intramuros, in Katipunan Avenue, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Retiro where the oldest venerated image of Our Lady of Lourdes in the country is enshrined, among others.

There is one parish in particular which was once a pilgrim stop of Marian devotees during the Post War years until it sadly went to oblivion as years passed by.

The simple Parish of the Most Holy Redeemer in Brixton Hill in Quezon City enshrines the miraculous image of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart which was then one of the most celebrated Marian images of the Post War years and enjoyed a notable popular acclaim for she is invoked as the Hope of the Hopeless - the invocation that she is known for since the beginning of the devotion to this unique Marian advocacy.

The image

The unique image of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is that of the typical Mother and Child model. The Blessed Mother is depicted holding the Child Jesus in her arms in a presentational form while the other hand is holding the Sacred Heart of the Child Jesus as if she is pointing the viewer to focus and venerate the Heart of her Son. The image is said to have come from Spain and it is painted in an "estofado" style (The image intricately painted with patterns and motifs to give an illusion of the image wearing an embroidered vestment)

The origin of the devotion

Blessed Jules Chevalier

The devotion to this unique Marian title of the Blessed Mother began when Reverend Father Jules Chevalier, an assistant priest at Issoudun, France desired to start a new religious order of missionaries who would make known and inspire devotion to the loving compassion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by exhibiting that love through acts of compassion, understanding and respect toward others.

Fr. Chevalier and his friend priest faced much challenges and obstacles to seek for the approval of their Congregation, but they entrust this challenge in the hands of the Lady of the Sacred Heart. Years later, their prayers and sacrifices were paid off, the Archbishop approved and authorized the two priests to begin the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and in n gratitude to Our Lady, Father Jules developed a devotion tying together the Sacred Heart of Jesus and our Blessed Lady under the title of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. Fr. Jules was beatified on May 25, 2012 and his feast is designated every October 21.

The Original and Canonically
Crowned image of Our Lady of the
Sacred Heart in her shrine in  Issoudun,
France

The unique title

Father Jules Chevalier gave the Most Holy Virgin this new title. For him, that title indicated that Mary was chosen among all women by the loving Heart of God, that she was destined to be the mother of mankind, to lead them to the Heart of her Son, and that ergo, she is our powerful advocate before the Heart of her Divine Son. His entire understanding of the person and role of Mary was summed up in the name he gave her.

The important part of the title is the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He is the center of this devotion. Mary is the mother who offers him to us, who desires that we enter into union with him, who longs to form us as she formed her Son Jesus, so that all humanity may discover the tenderness, compassion, mercy, strength, power, fidelity and constancy of the love of God revealed in the human heart of God’s own Son.

Nuestra Señora de Sagrado Corazon de
Jesus of Monte de Gozo, Madrid, Spain

Hence, this unique title for Mary is essentially Christocentric  It is she who leads us to him and who offers him to us. Mary is the mother who gives, who offers and who surrenders her Son so as to make us sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.

There were two types of iconography of this particular title of Our Lady, one is the with the Blessed Mother with outstretched arms and the Child Jesus standing in front of her and presenting His Sacred Heart and blessing the beholder. The other version which is more popular, especially in Spain and Hispanic countries is the one where the Blessed Mother holding the Child Jesus in her arms and holding her Son's Sacred Heart. This representation of the intimate relationship between them cannot be more perfect: "Come to Me through her, who is the owner of my Heart." This version was utilized in when the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart arrived in the Philippines in the 1950's.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart during one of the
early years of the Grand Marian Procession
in Manila

The arrival of the devotion in the Philippines

The devotion to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart arrived in the Philippines in 1955 through the efforts of the French Missionaries of the Sacred Heart who were entrusted the care of the parish in that same year with Fr. Andrew Corsten as its First Parish Priest. With this assignment, the devotion to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart flourished through the efforts of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart over the years.

The devotion become en vogue in the Post War years since at that time the Philippines is still recovering from the ravages of World War 2 and the her special avocation as the "Hope of the Hopeless" became popular that pilgrims flock the shrine to ask for help in their hopeless cases. This was further solidified when Thursdays was dedicated to the devotion to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart which she shared with another popular Saint for Desperate Cases whose devotion is dedicated on Thursdays- St. Jude Thaddeus - That was propagated by the Missionaries from the Society of the Divine Word. Years later, the devotional day was moved to Saturdays where it is traditionally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Most Holy Redeemer Parish in Brixton Hill, Quezon City

The Parish

The present parish of the Most Holy Redeemer, began with a chapel of the Most Holy Trinity Parish in Balic-Balic in Sampaloc, Manila. On September 20, 1954, the Most Holy Redeemer Parish was established, its territory obtained from the Holy Trinity and Sacred Heart parishes. The parish church was solemnly dedicated on March 4 1962, by the late Cardinal Rufino J. Santos.

The spiritual care of the parish was entrusted to the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, with Fr. Andrew Cornsten as Parish Priest. The religious fathers administered the parish until 1973, when it was handed over to the diocesan clergy.

The image of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in her Carozza for her
Fiesta procession

The Devotion

The Feast of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is celebrated every First Sunday of June, the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Devotion to Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is the very special manner that Fr. Jules Chevalier has given us to honor Mary and keep that promise.

In the case of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart our devotion flows especially from the contemplation of Mary at the foot of the Cross - Mary contemplating her Son Jesus, understanding why his mission should have led him to this, understanding the love for us that drove him in this mission. His Heart was pierced and poured out, so great was his love for us. Mary points this out to us.

As we end this blogpost dedicated to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, here is one of the popular prayers to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and one may ponder on the words as we invoke Mary in this unique title:

MEMORARE TO OUR LADY OF THE SACRED HEART 

Remember, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, the ineffable power which thy Divine Son has given thee over His adorable Heart. Full of confidence in thy merits, we now implore thy protection.
O Heavenly Treasurer of the Heart of Jesus, of that Heart which is the inexhaustible source of all graces and which thou dost open when it pleases thee, in order to distribute among men all the treasures of love and mercy, of light and salvation which it contains: grant us, we beseech thee, the favors we request. 

(Mention your request)

We can never, never be refused by thee, and since thou art our Mother, O our Lady of the Sacred Heart, graciously hear our prayers and grant our request. Amen.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, pray for us!