Spaniards send Sacred Heart badges to Ukraine’s soldiers

Getafe, Spain, Apr 12, 2022 / 14:10 pm (CNA).

The Diocese of Getafe, in collaboration with the Shrine of the Great Promise in Valladolid, has made 10,000 Sacred Heart of Jesus badges that were sent to Ukraine in early April. There they will be picked by Franciscan friars to distribute to Ukrainian soldiers.

Members of the Apostles of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary and more than 50 volunteers made the badges by cutting them from cloth, covering them with clear plastic, and packaging them together with a prayer to the Virgin in Ukrainian, while other volunteers prayed the rosary.

They intend to send a total of 100,000 badges in various shipments of humanitarian aid from the diocese.

The badges were donated by the Castilla Textil company and the explanatory text that accompanies them was donated by the ID Comunidad Gráfica de Boadilla del Monte. The remainder of the badges are being financed with private donations.

The Diocese of Getafe explained that the origin of the badge dates to the 17th century when Christ asked Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque to make images of his Sacred Heart to be placed in houses and worn. The badge refers to one of the 12 promises Christ made to the saint: “I will be your safe refuge during life and especially at the hour of death.”

The diocese said that the badge is the ‘shield’ of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and depicts the image of the Sacred Heart with the ejaculation: “Cease, O enemy! The Heart of Jesus is with me. Thy kingdom come!”

“It’s the means by which Catholics express their love and trust in protection from the temptations of the devil, not an amulet. It can be worn pinned on, sewn on clothes, in a wallet, under a pillow, at home or in the car” the diocese explained, adding that “there are dozens of miraculous events that have occurred to those who carry it.”