On June 11, 2026, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops consecrated the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus during its Spring Plenary Assembly. The ceremony coincided with the feast of the Sacred Heart and marked the first national consecration to the Sacred Heart in the nearly 250-year history of the United States.
The bishops had voted in November of the previous year to carry out the consecration. The USCCB stated the purpose was to renew devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to recognize the kingship of Christ, perfecting the temporal order with the spirit of the Gospel.
President Donald Trump released a presidential message the same day. He said he and First Lady Melania Trump were united in prayer with the bishops. Trump described America as historically “a land of prayer, a place of miracles, and home to some of the most faithful and devoted Christians to ever live.” He called the consecration “yet another historic milestone” and noted the prayer’s focus on celebrating God’s gifts to a nation founded on self-evident truths, including the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
On June 12, U.S. Representative Riley Moore, a Catholic Republican from West Virginia, announced he would introduce a resolution to officially recognize the consecration. Moore posted on social media that the act serves as a sign of Christ’s divine love, mercy, and humility, and called for reclaiming June in honor of the Sacred Heart.
Some Catholics have questioned elements of the prayer. Father David Nix noted on social media that while the USCCB page titled the text a “consecration,” the prayer itself does not contain the words “consecrate” or “consecration” and includes terms such as “community” and “relationship.”
For historical context, on June 11, 1792, Archbishop John Carroll, the first bishop of the United States, consecrated the nation to the Immaculate Conception. The 2026 consecration to the Sacred Heart follows a tradition seen in Pope Leo XIII’s 1899 consecration of the human race to the Sacred Heart.
The event precedes the semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary, of American independence in July 2026.
