When I started my research for this topic, I picked up a little book, Enthronement of the Sacred Heart by Rev. Francis Larkin, SS.CC., published in 1956 by the Catechetical Guild Educational Society. The first chapter was so charming with its descriptions of the dramatic twists and turns in the history of bringing this devotion, particularly enthronement of the Sacred Heart, to North America. It was the kind of chapter that I'd like to read aloud to friends. So here it is, verbatim. At the end of the article there are a lot of links for more information, prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, books, etc. Enjoy!
The Formation of an Apostle From Arequipa to Our America
Americans went about their business as usual on September 18, 1875. The news of the birth of a baby boy in Arequipa, Peru, did not make the local papers Even if it had, it wouldn't have made any impression, for who in the United States had every heard of Arequipa or the Crawley-Boevey family?
Yet this Peruvian lad one day would change profoundly the lives of countless American families. Because of him thousands of Catholic homes would receive extraordinary blessings from the Sacred Heart. Tens of thousands would rise at night to make reparation to the Sacred Heart in their own homes. And, today, thanks to this man, many of these Americans are probably enjoying the beatific vision.
Sixty-five years later, this same boy, then a priest, would come to the United States and Canada to preach the love and mercy of the Sacred Heart for some six years.
Long before this, his influence had been felt in homes through out the land, yet for the first time his many friends and admirers could see and listen to the one who had so deeply affected their lives. Those who were privileged to hear him are still talking about the experience. For Father Mateo (pronounced "MAH-TAY-O"), the famed "apostle of the Sacred Heart," spoke with an eloquence that stirred the soul and moved the will.
Be a Saint or Stay Home!
Father Mateo's father was an English banker, a member of an old and distinguished English family, the Crawley-Boeveys, communicants of the Anglican Church. Sent to Peru by his
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