During the month of October 1908, the Little Sisters received a beautiful statue of the Sacred Heart from their major benefactor
Mr. Edward Le Breton. A special wooden canopy was constructed at the end of the garden where the magnificent statue was placed. Such a presence served to encourage devotion to the Sacred Heart at St. Ann’s in Boyle Heights.
A very dear friend of the Little Sisters was Fr. Mateo Crawley-Boevey SS. CC. (Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary). (Seated on the left in the photo) He was the founder of the “Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” apostolate. He frequently stayed at St. Ann’s when he was in Los Angeles. Fr. Mateo had been working worldwide since 1907 to encourage the enthronement of the image of the Sacred Heart in the home as a source of strength and blessing for the family.
In 1979, the Sacred Heart statue was moved to the Little Sisters new home in San Pedro where it remains today as a reminder of this rich devotional history.
During this Year of Faith, it seemed very appropriate to re-dedicate ourselves to the special love for the Sacred Heart through the enthronement. After Mass in our chapel, Little Sisters, Residents and friends of the Home came to the hallway where the ceremony took place. Our chaplain, Rev. Timothy O’Conner, said a few words and blessed the picture. When the ceremony was completed, many lingered to see the picture which reminds us of the special love that the Sacred Heart has for each of us, and how we are to respond to that love by showing love to others.
