Name ______Date ______

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

Directions: Read the biography and answer the questions.

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque was born in 1647 as the only daughter in a Catholic family in France. She had a deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament as a young girl and made a vow to the Blessed Virgin Mary to dedicate herself to the religious life. Her mother encouraged her to attend social events with her brothers in hopes of meeting a suitable husband. Returning from one of these events, she had a vision of the suffering Christ whose heart was on fire with love for her. She then fulfilled her vow to enter the religious life and became known for her humility, patience, and simplicity. As a she continued to have many visions of Jesus Christ and his . Jesus revealed to her many devotional practices that became popular among Catholics even to this day including the reception of communion on the first Friday of every month, during a “,” and especially the prayerful devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. After some difficulty, she was able to convince her superior that her visions were real, but theologians during her lifetime called them hallucinations. Her spirituality remained an inspiration to many people and she was canonized in 1920. Then in 1928, the pope affirmed the validity of her visions of Jesus Christ.

1. Which devotions did Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque popularize among Catholics? ______

2. How can you practice a devotion to the Blessed Sacrament or the Sacred Heart? ______

3. Jesus’s heart is overflowing with love for you. How can you return that love? ______

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