By PAUL A. BARRA
CHARLESTON — The first Friday of June is also the feast of the Sacred Heart in 1997. At the church dedicated to that image of Jesus in this see city, parishioners will celebrate the feastday with a solemn evening liturgy.
Fridays were traditionally devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus; indulgences were received for making nine consecutive first Friday Masses and receiving Communion in reparation to his name, and many Catholics used to light candles in front of images of the Sacred Heart in their homes on Fridays.
Parishioners of the historic downtown parish also have a new statue to remind them of their special devotion to the Sacred Heart.
“We blessed it on Palm Sunday,” said Father Michael J. Davino, pastor of Sacred Heart Church. “What we especially like about the statue is that it pictures Jesus with a child. We situated it halfway between the church building and (Charleston Catholic) school, showing the connection of church and school.”
The statue was rescued from a church in Philadelphia that had closed and was donated by Charleston parishioners who wish to remain anonymous. A spokesperson for the parishioners said that the statue was dedicated to the memory of deceased parents. He also said that the statue was a find.
“Father Davino found it,” the spokesperson said. “We wanted marble and a new marble statue was over $20,000, so the pastor put out feelers. A man in Columbia knew about this one up north and called us about it.”
The Yankee statue has now been given a new existence in the Old South.