150 Years of St Aloysius’ Church: (8) The Sacred Heart Chapel
Almost hidden beyond the Sanctuary is the Sacred Heart chapel. Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is very ancient but became widely popular in 18th century France and was promoted by the Jesuits who built our church. It focuses on the profound love that Jesus has in his humanity for those who trust in him. It reminds us that although he is God, he is also man, and loves us in a way we can understand — although he does so perfectly and unconditionally. In this image his heart is wounded on account of our sins but on fire with love for us.
A new altar of Portuguese limestone and marble, designed by Robbie Kerr of Adam Architecture in the Roman baroque style, was installed in 2019. The tabernacle, used on certain feasts, is modelled on the main doors of the Oratory church in Rome with the star of St Philip’s coat of arms above it. The altar was consecrated in 2020. The ancient ceremonies for consecrating an altar echo the rites of consecration given to Moses by God. You can watch the highlights from the consecration on our YouTube channel. Turn on the captions to see the explanations of the rite.