Where the Sacred Heart Dwells

By Silvia Holgado, CWRC

July 2nd, 2025 - Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center

Thy Kingdom Come!

The feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus holds special significance in the life of the Notre Dame Center.

Although not included in the building’s original plans, a chapel dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was built in the south wing, closest to the Old City walls. It was requested and funded by Mr. Bontoux, who wanted it erected in memory of his only son, who died at the age of 20. We will not delve into the sacred ground of a father’s grief at losing his son, but it is telling that his request was directed toward a Heart pierced by the pain of a lance — the only Heart capable of comforting us in the darkest moments of our existence. The first Mass was celebrated there in February 1899.

Sacred Heart of Jesus Chapel at the left wing in Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center

Designed in the Romano-Byzantine style, the chapel — a Greek cross set within a nearly square space — was adorned with intricate mosaics, most of which are still visible today. It soon became a sanctuary of profound prayer and Eucharistic devotion. It was entrusted to the Association of the Crusaders of Purgatory, encouraging the faithful to pray for the souls of the departed.

However, the south wing was severely damaged during the 1948 war, and the chapel was left in ruins by intense bombing. Various subsequent restorations, especially the one in 1970, transformed this chapel into what it is today: the Shroud Museum — an exhibition dedicated to the man depicted on the Shroud preserved in the cathedral of Turin, Italy. It is a cloth on which we can “read” the final hours of a man, in the prime of life, who died with extreme violence, but also — as we see in his face — with extreme serenity and acceptance.

In addition to this particular rootedness in the physical building of the Notre Dame Center, we can say that the Sacred Heart of Jesus builds “spiritual buildings” in all of us who are part of the Center’s spiritual mission. For the Legionaries of Christ and the members of Regnum Christi, the Sacred Heart is the origin and center of our spirituality: the source of true love, a living sign of God’s tenderness — a tenderness that becomes flesh, that draws near, and that gives itself without reserve. This is the profound truth of our lives: that we were created out of love, for love, and that our lives are a constant call to embrace that love and give it to others.