Sacred Heart

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a Catholic devotion centred on Christ’s love, mercy and self-giving, represented by the image of his heart. The solemnity falls on the Friday after the second Sunday following Pentecost, sixty-eight days after Easter. Devotion became particularly visible in Colombia through churches, religious communities, household images and national prayers, although belief and participation are personal rather than universal.

Colombia’s public holiday does not fall on the liturgical Friday. Law 51 of 1983 includes the Sacred Heart among religious dates whose paid rest moves to the following Monday. The calendar therefore adds seventy-one days to Easter Sunday. Parishes can celebrate the solemnity on Friday while workplaces close three days later, another example of the separation between Colombia’s church and labour calendars.

Religious observance may include Mass, Eucharistic adoration, consecration prayers or charitable activity inspired by the devotion’s language of compassion. In households and institutions with a strong Sacred Heart tradition, images are displayed and prayers are renewed. For much of the population, however, the day is chiefly one of Colombia’s recurring Monday puentes, used for rest or tourism rather than a nationwide uniform ritual.