From Aleteia
“Up there, on the hill, in the clear sky, the Sacré-Cœur began to take shape, looking like a giant meringue; a stone host placed over the open wound of the city.” Émile Zola undoubtedly narrates this historic event better than anyone else in Le Ventre de Paris (“The Belly of Paris”). It was 150 years ago: on June 16, 1875, the first stone of the Sacré-Coeur (Sacred Heart) Basilica of Montmartre was laid.
On this occasion, a jubilee rich in fervor begins on the famous hill in Paris.
On Sunday, June 15, about a hundred families consecrated themselves to the heart of Jesus with a prayer. And the icing on the cake: during the 11 a.m. Mass, the rector of the shrine, Father Stéphane Esclef, conferred the apostolic blessing granted by Pope Leo XIV.
“I made this request through the nunciature and was granted the opportunity to convey this blessing. What a grace!” Father Esclef told Aleteia with delight.
By participating in this Mass, the faithful were able to receive a plenary indulgence, provided they meet the conditions required by the Vatican: confession, Communion, prayer for the intentions of the pope, and detachment from sin.
The Sacred Heart of Montmartre is one of the jubilee shrines for the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025, which has the theme “Pilgrims of Hope.” Many pilgrims, therefore, have already been taking steps since December 2024 to obtain a plenary indulgence. However, this Mass with an apostolic blessing is "a very special Mass,” the rector says.
A special blessing on August 1
The year 2025 also marks the 140th anniversary of the perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in Montmartre.
To celebrate this anniversary and give thanks, the shrine is launching a great novena of prayer from July 24 to August 1. During these nine days, 140 worshipers will keep vigil over the Blessed Sacrament exposed in the basilica.
“This is a challenge we have set ourselves, and I hope we will achieve this goal,” explains Father Esclef.
On Friday, August 1, during a vigil presided over by French Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, the faithful will consecrate themselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, followed by another apostolic blessing.
Father Esclef will then go out onto the square in front of the basilica to bless Paris, France, and the world. “A blessing of peace and love,” because that’s what matters most, emphasizes Father Esclef.
"When we talk about Sacré-Coeur, we tend to immediately think of the basilica in its architectural sense. But the basilica is not just a monument. It’s first and foremost the house of the people of God, the house of the Heart of Jesus open to all," the rector explains.
The basilica’s monumental mosaic by artist Lucien Magne depicts five women and children symbolizing the continents devoted to the Heart of Christ. Today, the whole world still passes through the Sacred Heart of Montmartre.
And what do people find there? Perhaps many different things, depending on their individual circumstances, but "in any case, Jesus awaits them with his heart burning with love.”
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