''Annum sacrum'' ( English: 'Holy Year') is an

encyclical An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Roman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from the Late Latin (originally fr ...

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

on the consecration of the whole human race to the

Sacred Heart of Jesus The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...

. It was delivered in

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initiall ...

on 25 May 1899, in the twenty-second year of his pontificate.

History

''Annum sacrum'' was published on 25 May 1899, in anticipation of the

Holy Year A jubilee is a special year of remission of sins, debts and universal pardon. In the Book of Leviticus, a jubilee year is mentioned as occurring every 50th year (after 49 years, 7x7, as per Leviticus 25:8) during which slaves and prisoners would ...

declared for 1900 to usher in the twentieth century.O'Donnell, Timothy Terrance. ''Heart of the Redeemer'', Ignatius Press, 1992

When the Church, in the days immediately succeeding her institution, was oppressed beneath the yoke of the Caesars, a young Emperor saw in the heavens a cross, which became at once the happy omen and cause of the glorious victory that soon followed. And now, to-day, behold another blessed and heavenly tokenis offered to our sight-the most Sacred Heart of Jesus, with a cross rising from it and shining forth with dazzling splendor amidst flames of love. ..there is in the Sacred Heart a symbol and a sensible image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love one another...

The consecration of the human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was a response to numerous demands that had been addressed to

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

over 25 years. The encyclical, and the consecration, were influenced by two letters written to the pope by Sister Mary of the Divine Heart Droste zu Vischering who stated that in

visions of Jesus Christ A number of people have claimed to have had visions of Jesus Christ and personal conversations with him. Some people make similar claims regarding his mother, Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary. Discussions about the authenticity of these visions have ...

she had been told to request the consecration.Laurent Volken, 1963, ''Visions, Revelations and the Church'' P.J. Kenedy PublishersNiels Christian Hvidt, 2007, ''Christian Prophecy: The Post-Biblical Tradition'', OUP Press page 242 The motive of consecration is the need for the faithful to reciprocate God's love for His creation, especially for man. The encyclical includes the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus composed by Pope Leo XIII.

Act of Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Act of Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

prayer composed by

and included in the encyclical, published in

Acta Apostolicae Sedis ''Acta Apostolicae Sedis'' (Latin for 'Acts of the Apostolic See'), often cited as ''AAS'', is the official gazette of the Holy See, appearing about twelve times a year.Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford University Press 2005 ), a ...

, as he consecrated the entire world to the

Words of the prayer

As ordered by

Pius XI Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...

, in the encyclical

Quas primas (from Latin: "In the first") is an encyclical of Pope Pius XI. Promulgated on December 11, 1925, it introduced the Feast of Christ the King. Purpose and content ''Quas primas'' followed Pius's initial encyclical, ''Ubi arcano Dei consilio'', w ...

(December 11, 1925) and published''TRANSMITTITUR ORDINARIIS FORMULA CONSECRATIONIS GENERIS HUMANI SACRATISSIMO CORDI IESU.'
Acta Apostolicae Sedis vol. XVII (1925)
p. 544) by the

Sacred Congregation of Rites The Sacred Congregation of Rites was a Congregation (Roman Curia), congregation of the Roman Curia, erected on 22 January 1588 by Pope Sixtus V by ''Immensa Aeterni Dei''; it was divided into two separate congregations by Pope Paul VI on 8 May 196 ...

Most sweet Jesus, Redeemer of the human race, look down upon us humbly prostrate before Thy altar. We are Thine, and Thine we wish to be; but, to be more surely united with Thee, behold each one of us freely consecrates himself today to Thy most Sacred Heart. Many indeed have never known Thee; many too, despising Thy precepts, have rejected Thee. Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to Thy Sacred Heart. Be Thou King, O Lord, not only of the faithful who have never forsaken Thee, but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned Thee; grant that they may quickly return to their Father's house lest they die of wretchedness and hunger. Be Thou King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof, and call them back to the harbor of truth and unity of faith, so that soon there may be but one flock and one Shepherd. Be Thou King of all those who are still involved in the darkness of idolatry or of Islamism, and refuse not to draw them into the light and kingdom of God. Turn Thine eyes of mercy towards the children of the race, once Thy chosen people: of old they called down upon themselves the Blood of the Savior; may it now descend upon them a laver of redemption and of life. Grant, O Lord, to Thy Church assurance of freedom and immunity from harm; give peace and order to all nations, and make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry: Praise to the divine Heart that wrought our salvation; to It be glory and honor forever. Amen.

The consecration in the encyclical entered new theological territory by consecrating non-Christians.

His empire extends not only over Catholic nations and those who, having been duly washed in the waters of holy baptism, belong of right to the Church, although erroneous opinions keep them astray, or dissent from her teaching cuts them off from her care; it comprises also all those who are deprived of the Christian faith, so that the whole human race is most truly under the power of Jesus Christ. ..Such an act of consecration, since it can establish or draw tighter the bonds which naturally connect public affairs with God, gives to States a hope of better things.

Influence

According to Russell Hittinger, more subsequent encyclicals were written referencing ''Annum sacrum'' than the better known ''Rerum novarum''.Hittinger, Russell. "Social Pluralism and Subsididiarity in Catholic Social Doctrine", ''Annales Theologici'', 16, 2002 Leo XIII unites the Kingship of Christ with devotion to the Sacred Heart. "For He who is the Only-begotten Son of God the Father, having the same substance with Him and being the brightness of His glory and the figure of His substance (Hebrews i., 3) necessarily has everything in common with the Father, and therefore sovereign power over all things." In addition to this natural right of sovereignty, he also acquired the right by his universally redemptive suffering and death. Beginning with the encyclical, popes begin to speak more of Christ's ruling powers.

Principles

* The whole human race is most truly under the power of Jesus Christ.(#3)

Notes

Sources

* * Ann Ball, 2003 ''Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices'' page 166

External links

Pope John Paul II. "Message for the Centenary of the Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus", ''L'Osservatore Romano'', Weekly Edition in English, 23 June 1999, p.1
{{Authority control Encyclicals of Pope Leo XIII 1899 documents 1899 in Christianity May 1899