The Guard of Honor Today

THE GUARD OF HONOR TODAY

Members of the Guard of Honor Association can be found in over thirty countries throughout the world and include several Popes, clergy, religious and laity.  Recently, there has been a dynamic growth of the Guard of Honor around the world especially in Paray-le-Monial and throughout France.  The headquarters of the Association are located at the Monastery of the Visitation at Paray-le-Monial, France.

Important Points

1. The Association of the Hour of Presence proposes to all of its members the devotion to the Heart of Christ by offering a continual worship of Glory, Love and Reparation to the Heart of Jesus which was pierced by a lance for love of us and continues to be wounded every minute by neglect, ingratitude and sin.  For this reason, the Association holds quite specifically as its end:  

1. To consecrate its Members to the pierced Heart of Jesus.  “The source from which we must drink in order to attain true knowledge of Jesus Christ and to experience more fully his love.” (Benedict XVI, Letter of May 15, 2006 to the General Superior of the Society of Jesus.)

2. To invite them to the duty of reparation to the Sacred Heart wounded for our sins.

3. To root their personal life of faith, together with their apostolic life and the performance of their professional activity in the love which consecrates and unites them to Jesus.  This is precisely the meaning of the expression “Devotion to the Sacred Heart”.

4. To invite them as well to a fraternal love which is more intense and is lived with greater awareness.

2. The Association aspires to ensure that at all hours of the day, fervent Christians are attentive to Christ’s burning love for us.

3. To this end, the members choose one hour of the day to be attentive to the presence of Jesus.  What a wonderful way to spend the Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament; however, if you find yourself at home, work, or in school or wherever you are, provided you are living your Hour with the firm intention of consoling His heart, then this is also accomplished.   At their chosen hour, each member, without changing any of their usual occupations, place themselves in spirit at the foot of the Cross as the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. John and St. Mary Magdalene at Calvary did.  There we can offer to Jesus our thoughts, words, actions and sufferings, with the desire to console His divine Heart by our love.  At the supreme moment of Christ offering Himself for the redemption of the world, we can enter into that and be united with His offering.  The Association has some recommended prayers during the Hour, if one wishes to pray, especially in front of the Blessed Sacrament.  

4. An additional Hour of Mercy may also be chosen for the intention of a special person or persons, family, or social group in the spirit of reparation.  Because of the lack of faith and abandonment of the practice of religion of many – parents, spouses and friends have taken it upon themselves to offer an “Hour of Mercy” for the conversion of one or more of their loved ones.

5. All members are highly recommended to participate in the First Friday Mass.  Frequent sacramental communion is also highly recommended.

HOW DOES ONE BECOME A MEMBER?

6. To become a member, you must:  

a) be properly registered at an official center (You can register at the Guard of Honor – Vancouver website “guardofhonor-vancouver.ca” or email GuardofHonor.Vancouver@shaw.ca. )

b)  faithfully keep the Hour of Guard that one has chosen (nothing obliges under pain of sin).

ADVANTAGES OF MEMBERSHIP

7. The Guard of Honor of the Sacred Heart is one of the associations most enriched with indulgences.  Besides sharing in these indulgences and in the Masses offered each month for Associates living and dead, the Members of the Guard of Honor have the benefit of the union of prayer existing among millions of souls who belong to the Archconfraternity of the Guard of Honor throughout the world.