As we experience Holy Week during a worldwide pandemic, we share not only in the challenges of this struggle, but also in the spiritual resources of our faith.
All Catholics in our country are invited to join in simultaneous prayer of the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at 11:00 a.m. CDT this Good Friday, April 10, 2020. It will be led by Archbishop José Gomez, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. I will also be praying this litany in unison with members of our faith across this land, as we beg our Lord Jesus for mercy and deliverance.
By a special grant from the Apostolic Penitentiary of the Holy See for those who pray for the end of the pandemic, a plenary indulgence is available for those who join in praying the Litany of the Sacred Heart on Good Friday. A plenary Indulgence removes all of the temporal punishment due to sins and may be applied to oneself or to the souls of the deceased [Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1471]. To receive this indulgence, a member of the faithful would need to do the following:
a) pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart on Good Friday
b) be truly repentant of any sins they have committed and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (at the earliest opportunity)
c) pray for the Holy Father’s intentions.
As an aid to this call to prayer, please find in the attached documents a prayer card of the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (English and Spanish), as well as an invitation card for the occasion.
You can find the event on Friday at this online location:
https://lacatholics.org/sacred-heart/
In these historic days of uncertainty, let us turn to Our Lord Jesus in fervent prayer, leaning on his divine mercy.