The First Fridays Devotion, also called the Nine First Fridays Devotion or the Communions of Reparation to the Sacred Heart, is a

Catholic devotion Catholic devotions are particular customs, rituals, and practices of worship of Trinity, God or honour of the saints which are in addition to the Catholic liturgy, liturgy of the Catholic Church, described as "expressions of love and fidelity th ...

in honor of 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 ...

and to offer reparations for sins to the

Blessed Sacrament The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...

. It has its origins in the apparitions of Christ at

Paray-le-Monial Paray-le-Monial is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Since 2004, Paray-le-Monial has been part of the Charolais-Brionnais region. Its inhabitants are called Parodiens and P ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, reported by

Margaret Mary Alacoque Margaret Mary Alacoque (; 22 July 1647 – 17 October 1690) was a French Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, Visitation nun and mysticism, mystic who promoted Catholic devotions, devotion to the Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart of Jesus in its moder ...

in the 17th century. This devotion to the Sacred Heart was fully approved by the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and a "Great Promise" of final penance was made to those who practice the First Fridays Devotion.

History

The Devotion of the Nine First Fridays is based on revelations from Jesus Christ reportedly received by

, a Visitation nun, between 1673 and 1675 in Paray-Le-Monial, France. This devotion was revealed to Margaret Mary in the form of a promise of final penance granted to those who accomplish this practice, also known as the "Great Promise". This was done in order to promote reparatory communions and the devotion to the

. According to Alacoque writings, Christ said to her :

"In the excess of the mercy of My Heart, I promise you that My all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in My displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and My Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour."

The practice of the First Fridays Devotion

The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

and receive the

Eucharist The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...

with the intention of honoring the Sacred Heart and making reparation for sins. The nine First Fridays must be consecutive. If the need arises, in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the

sacrament of penance The Sacrament of Penance (also commonly called the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession) is one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church (known in Eastern Christianity as sacred mysteries), in which the faithful are absolved from si ...

before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the

Holy Hour Holy Hour () is the Roman Catholic devotional tradition of spending an hour in prayer and meditation on the agony of Jesus Christ in the garden of Gethsemane, or in Eucharistic adoration in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. A plenary indulg ...

the night before the First Fridays or during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged.

Promises of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Several promises were reported by Alacoque for those who are devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The promises suggest that one "will be disposed to Christian discipleship through frequent reception of the

sacraments A sacrament is a Christian rite which is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence, number and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol of ...

." The last promise is the promise of final penance granted to those who practice the First Fridays Devotion. # I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life. # I will establish peace in their houses. # I will comfort them in all their afflictions. # I will be their strength during life and above all during death. # I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings. # Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy. # Tepid souls shall grow fervent. # Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection. # I will bless every place where a picture of My Heart shall be set up and honored. # 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, never to be blotted out. # I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who shall receive communion on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penance; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

Catholic Church approval

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (; ; born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, ; 21 November 1854 – 22 January 1922) was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His pontificate was largely overshadowed by World War I a ...

inserted the "Great Promise" of the First Fridays Devotion into his

Bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not Castration, castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e. cows proper), bulls have long been an important symbol cattle in r ...

Canonization Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon ca ...

for Margaret Mary Alacoque on 13 May 1920, encouraging in this way the practice of this act of reparation on the first Fridays in honor of the Sacred Heart.

Liturgical praxis

In 1889,

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 ...

permitted priests and bishops worldwide to offer one morning

votive Mass In the liturgy of the Catholic Church, a votive Mass (Latin ''missa votiva'') is a Mass offered for a ''votum'', a special intention. Such a Mass does not correspond to the Divine Office for the day on which it is celebrated. Every day in the yea ...

of the Sacred Heart on the first Friday of each month in churches or oratories where special devotions to the Sacred Heart were held, provided no feast of the Lord, double of the first class, or privileged feria, vigil, or octave occurred on that day. This permission was retained in the 1962 Missal, which remains the authorized liturgical text for the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite under the terms of

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

's ''

Summorum Pontificum (English: 'Of the Supreme Pontiffs') is an Ecclesiastical letter#Letters of the popes in modern times, apostolic letter of Pope Benedict XVI, issued on 7 July 2007. This letter specifies the circumstances in which Priesthood in the Catholic Chur ...

'', though the rubrics were altered to restrict the use of this permission to first Fridays on liturgical days of the third and fourth class; additionally, the 1962 rubrics allow two such votive Masses to be said on first Fridays, with no requirement for these Masses to be said in the morning (evening Masses having been permitted by

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

by his 1953 apostolic constitution ''Christus Dominus''). No specific permission for use of the votive Mass of the Sacred Heart on first Fridays exists in the rubrics of the

Mass of Paul VI The Mass of Paul VI, also known as the Ordinary Form or , is the most commonly used Catholic liturgy, liturgy in the Catholic Church. It was Promulgation (Catholic canon law), promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1969 and its liturgical books were p ...

, though votive Masses of any kind are permitted on most weekdays in

Ordinary Time Ordinary Time () is the part of the liturgical year in the liturgy of the Roman Rite, which falls outside the two great seasons of Christmastide and Eastertide, or their respective preparatory seasons of Advent and Lent. Ordinary Time thus inc ...

on which no obligatory memorial, feast, or solemnity occurs.

References

External links

A support community for those wanting to complete the First Fridays Devotion
{{Roman catholic approved apparitions Catholic devotions