First Friday Devotions
“O most holy Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing,
I adore You, I love You, and with a lively sorrow for my sins, I offer You this poor heart of mine.
Make me humble, patient, pure, and wholly obedient to Your will”
The First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is based on a promise made by Our Lord Jesus Christ during an Apparition to St. Margaret Mary.
This promise was implicitly approved by the Church in the 1920 canonisation of St. Margaret Mary.
First Friday Devotion - Dates & Times
Confession is at 6 pm followed by a Votive Mass to the Sacred Heart which will be celebrated at 7 pm in St. Mary Magdalene (note the importance of both the Intention and the Prayer at holy communion below), followed by 30 minutes Exposition & Benediction during which the Litany to the Sacred Heart is recited and the Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart is offered and this will be on the following dates:
Friday 5th April 2024
Friday 3rd May 2024
Friday 7th June 2024
Friday 5th July 2024
Friday 2nd August 2024
Friday 6th September 2024
Friday 4th October 2024
Friday 1st November 2024
Friday 6th December 2024
First Friday Devotion Requirements
Our Lord’s promise:
"I promise you in the excessive Mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful Love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the Grace of Final Penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving the Sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment."
In order to receive these graces, with the intention of making reparation to the Heart of Jesus for past and present offences against his love, we should:
Receive without interruption Holy Communion for nine consecutive first Fridays
Have the intention of honouring the Sacred Heart of Jesus persevering in our faith until the end
Offer each Holy Communion as an act of expiation for the offences committed against this Holy Sacrament
Pray: "O Lord, who in the Heart of Your Son, wounded by our sins, has deposited infinite treasures of grace - we pray, that upon receiving the homage of our love, we have offered you a sufficient reparation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Heart of Jesus, I trust in You."
To pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Act of Reparation to The Sacred Heart of Jesus, click below on the Prayers To The Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Promises of Our Lord
Jesus made the following 12 promises to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in favour of those who consecrate to the Sacred Heart, in a spirit of reparation, on the First Friday of each month.
I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life
I will establish peace in their homes
I will comfort them in all their afflictions
I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death
I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings
Sinners will find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy
Lukewarm souls shall become fervent
Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection
I will bless every place in which an image of My Heart is exposed and honoured
I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts
Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart
I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in My disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.
The Church grants a Plenary indulgence to those who attend Mass and receive Communion in honour of The Sacred Heart of Jesus on the First Friday of each month for nine (9) consecutive months.
