Servant of God Francis J. Parater, A Life Given to the Sacred Heart

 

Servant of God Francis J. Parater

Francis Joseph Parater was born on October 10, 1897, in Richmond, Virginia. Known as Frank, he grew up in a devout Catholic family in the Church Hill neighborhood. He was baptized at Saint Patrick Church. His family’s modest home stood near the Visitation monastery of Monte Maria, where his father cared for the garden and where Frank’s own life of prayer began to take shape.

From the time of his First Communion until he left Richmond for college, Frank served daily Mass at the monastery. His devotion accompanied an active and accomplished youth. He became an Eagle Scout and graduated as valedictorian of Benedictine High School in 1917. Remembered as friendly, talented, and well rounded, he brought his faith into his studies, friendships, and scouting. The desire to become a priest grew within that ordinary life of responsibility and service.

After high school, Frank entered Belmont Abbey Seminary College in North Carolina. There, he followed a personal rule of life that included daily Holy Communion, weekly confession, and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. He eventually decided to prepare for the diocesan priesthood, hoping to serve the Church in his native Virginia. His formation joined academic preparation with a deliberate effort to deepen his love for God.

In the autumn of 1919, Bishop Denis O’Connell sent him to the Pontifical North American College in Rome for theological studies. Frank’s humor and good cheer endeared him to his fellow seminarians. He continued the spiritual life he had cultivated at home and at Belmont. Far from Virginia, he remained devoted to the people he hoped one day to serve as a priest.

That December, Frank wrote an Act of Oblation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He sealed it with instructions that it should be read only if he died in Rome. In this spiritual testament, he consecrated his life to the Sacred Heart and offered himself for the conversion of those outside the Catholic Church in Virginia. His offering encompassed the work of living as well as the possibility of death. He wanted every action to contribute to the Church’s mission.

Frank also explained that he loved his life at the college, his companions, and Rome. His offering expressed gratitude and confidence in God. He hoped that, if he died, he could continue helping his loved ones and his diocese through prayer. He wrote, “I shall be of more service to my diocese in heaven than I could ever be on earth.” Those words revealed how deeply his hope for heaven remained connected to his love for Virginia.

In late January 1920, Frank became seriously ill with rheumatic fever. He was admitted to the hospital of the Blue Nuns, where his illness brought pain and delirium. As his condition worsened, he received the Last Rites. Wishing to kneel for Holy Communion, he tried to leave his bed, but was prevented from doing so. He instead knelt on the bed to receive Viaticum. He died on February 7, aged twenty two, before he could be ordained.

After his death, his spiritual testament was discovered among his belongings. As it became known, Pope Benedict XV and later Pope Pius XI requested copies. Frank was buried in the North American College mausoleum at Rome’s Campo Verano cemetery. His short life left a lasting impression on those who had known him and on others who encountered his offering to God.

His cause for canonization began in 2001, and the diocesan inquiry concluded in 2005. He remains a Servant of God. The priesthood for which he prepared was never fulfilled on earth, but his written offering preserves the purpose that guided him. As a student, scout, and seminarian, Frank sought to give himself completely to Christ and to the salvation of others.

For a devotional image of Servant of God Francis, click here: Maryvale Catholic Press

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, the Messenger of the Sacred Heart

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

 Margaret Mary Alacoque was born on July 22, 1647, near Verosvres in Burgundy, France. Her childhood included both religious devotion and considerable suffering. Her father died when she was eight, and a serious illness later confined her to bed for several years. During these difficulties, she found consolation in prayer. She understood her recovery as a grace associated with a promise to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she would enter religious life.

In 1671, Margaret Mary entered the Visitation monastery at Paray-le-Monial. She made her religious profession on November 6, 1672. Her vocation took shape through community prayer, obedience, and ordinary work. While preparing for profession, she continued her assigned task of watching the monastery’s donkey and its young animal so that they would not damage the garden. The woman later remembered for extraordinary mystical experiences also lived the practical responsibilities of a cloistered sister.

Between December 1673 and June 1675, Margaret Mary reported a series of apparitions in which Jesus revealed his Sacred Heart. She described an overwhelming encounter with his love and his desire that people respond to it. The message included sorrow over human ingratitude and indifference. In words preserved from her account, Christ declared, “This is the heart that so loved human beings.” Her mission became closely associated with making that love better known.

According to her accounts, Jesus asked for particular expressions of devotion, including Holy Communion on the first Friday of each month and an hour of prayer on Thursday night in remembrance of his agony in Gethsemane. He also requested a feast honoring his Sacred Heart. These practices joined gratitude for Christ’s love with reparation for sin. They invited Catholics to respond through prayer, sacramental life, and a more faithful love of the Savior present in the Eucharist.

Her experiences initially met with doubts, and she needed guidance in discerning them. An important source of support arrived in 1675 with the Jesuit priest Claude de la Colombière, himself later canonized. He listened to her, examined her spiritual life, and supported the authenticity of her experiences. His counsel encouraged trust in Christ while keeping her rooted in humility and religious obedience. He also helped communicate the devotion beyond the monastery, giving assistance she could not have provided alone.

Margaret Mary continued living within her community as acceptance of the devotion gradually grew. In 1684, she became novice mistress, helping form younger sisters in religious life. At Father Ignace Rolin’s request, she wrote her autobiography in 1686. Her writings preserved the experiences and convictions that had shaped her vocation. Through teaching and correspondence, she encouraged others to give themselves to Christ and to answer his love with the offering of their own lives.

She died at Paray-le-Monial on October 17, 1690, aged forty three. Pope Pius IX beatified her in 1864, and Pope Benedict XV canonized her on May 13, 1920. Her feast is celebrated on October 16. Devotion to the Heart of Jesus had roots long before her lifetime, but her witness helped it spread throughout the world. Saint Margaret Mary’s enduring invitation is to contemplate the love of Christ, trust his mercy, and respond with a heart increasingly given to him.

For a devotional image of St. Margaret, click here: Maryvale Catholic Press