Sacred Heart Statue Linked to Blessed McGivney Finds New Home in Terryville
Story by Karen A. Avitabile
An old statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that may have been purchased by Blessed Michael J. McGivney in the 19th century now holds a prominent spot outside of Immaculate Conception Church in Terryville.
In late spring, the statue was found in storage and is thought to have been the one purchased by then-Father McGivney. The priest served as pastor of St. Thomas Church in Thomaston, which included the Immaculate Conception Mission, from 1884 until his death in 1890. This Oct. 31 marks the sixth anniversary of his beatification. The priest needs another confirmed miracle to be canonized a saint.
The statue has been mounted on a rebuilt pedestal and has been placed on the right side of Immaculate Conception Church. On the left side of the church is a statue of Mary. Today, the churches of St. Thomas, and Terryville’s Immaculate Conception and St. Casmir, make up St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish.
A historical church ledger maintained by Blessed McGivney, which still exists today, confirms that he purchased a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. His 1886 entry reads: “Purchase of Sacred Heart statue for the church.”
This past June, Archbishop William Lori, supreme chaplain of the Knights of Columbus, blessed the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus outside Immaculate Conception Church. Blessed McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus in 1882 when he served as parochial vicar of St. Mary Church in New Haven.
The Knights of Columbus have long believed that Blessed McGivney was devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through materials he left behind. These objects are on display in the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center in New Haven.
One item is an ornate devotional plaque of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that was present in Blessed McGivney’s childhood home in Waterbury. The plaque was purchased by the Knights of Columbus in the 1970s.
Another item on display is a cloth image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus sewn inside vestments that Blessed McGivney was buried in.
PHOTO BY AARON JOSEPH
Other evidence of Blessed McGivney’s devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was recorded in an 1881 letter penned by the priest to his favorite professor at his alma mater, St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, Md. He signed it, “Yours in the Sacred Heart, Michael J. McGivney.”
The priest also gave a badge of the Sacred Heart to James “Chip” Smith, a prisoner on death row in New Haven. Blessed McGivney ministered to Smith before his execution on Sept. 1, 1882.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus gained prominence in the 17th century through the divine revelations to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French Catholic nun. The Sacred Heart of Jesus was officially recognized and approved in 1765 by Pope Clement XIII.
The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus honors the physical heart of Jesus Christ and his boundless love for mankind. It teaches the faithful to let go of anger, rejection and sins of humanity, and follow his example love and gratitude in return.
Today, the entire month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart and the next feast day, a major solemnity in the Catholic Church, will be marked on June 4, 2027.