On June 11, 1899, on the eve of the Jubilee Year 1900, Pope Leo XIII consecrated the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This act symbolized submission to the royal authority of Jesus Christ and recognition of Him as Lord.
The Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi.
The idea quickly spread to Poland and was embraced during the early reconstruction of the independent state. In 1920, amid the Bolshevik threat, Polish bishops, led by Cardinal Edmund Dalbor, gathered at Jasna Góra on July 27 and consecrated the Polish nation and homeland to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, reaffirming Mary as the Queen of Poland.
Divine Intervention in the Battle of Warsaw
Three weeks later, on August 15, 1920, the victorious Battle of Warsaw, known as the “Miracle on the Vistula,” took place, repelling the Bolshevik forces. When Pope Benedict XV learned of Poland’s consecration to the Sacred Heart, he praised the bishops for their decision, acknowledging the act as a remedy for contemporary evils and a means to strengthen the nation’s faith and resilience.
A Basilica of Gratitude
In 1921, as a votive offering of gratitude to the Sacred Heart for the regained independence, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Kraków was consecrated.