From the Beginning

"A little over one hundred years ago, a young priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Father Mateo Crawley-Boevey, was convinced that a healthy family life, based on a strong belief in God, was the basis of a healthy society and a vibrant Church. Father Mateo believed the world could be converted and society transformed family by family. This became the basis of his apostolate, which he called The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart in the Home. His idea was approved by his Superior General and Pope St. Pius X, and confirmed by his experience at the shrine of the Sacred Heart at Paray-la-Monial, where he went on pilgrimage.
 

The Enthronement apostolate began in Chile, where Father Mateo lived, and soon spread to other countries of South America where within seven years almost a million families enthroned the Sacred Heart in their homes. From there the apostolate was introduced to Europe where it flourished from the beginning of the First World War.

 

Later Father Mateo went to Asia where the apostolate was also successful, especially in Japan, the Philippines, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and India. In 1940 Father Mateo took his message of the love of the heart of Christ to the United States, where it was well-received. In 1944 he crossed into Canada to continue his mission-the twenty-second country of his worldwide apostolate. In 1946 he fell ill and was hospitalized for several years until he finally returned to Chile, where he died in 1960.

 

In the mid-fifties, the apostolate of the Enthronement, like other works associated with devotion to the Sacred Heart, went into decline worldwide. In recent years there has been a revival of interest in the Enthronement apostolate, especially in the United States. There have been several requests for a concise, easy-to-read, presentation on the Enthronement in contemporary language. This booklet entitled Family Covenant with God. Introduction to the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart in the Home attempts to do this while remaining faithful to the spirit of the founder. 

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At a time when families are under constant pressure to conform to worldly values, there is a need for a strong commitment to Christ, and an effective love for others in Catholic homes, which the Enthronement apostolate promotes. May the Lord grant that this booklet, Family Covenant with God: Introduction to the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart in the Home, will kindle a zeal for this apostolate in North America, and lead to a new awakening of faith in Christian families in this land. I am indebted to the legacy of Father Mateo and Father Francis Larkin, SS.CC. his co-worker in the United States, and to the input of numerous colleagues

 

Fr. Columban Crotty, ss.cc. Forward, Family Covenant with God.