FARMINGTON HILLS — As each person entered St. Fabian Church, they were handed a rosary and a blue sheet of paper with prayers, including how to pray the rosary.

The families, couples and single people who sat in the pews the evening of Oct. 3 were participating in a special enthronement of St. Fabian Parish and School to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Led by St. Fabian’s pastor, Fr. Jeffrey Day, the enthronement was an initiative of the Men of the Sacred Hearts, an apostolic organization of Catholic laymen who “enthrone” homes, businesses and schools to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

“We desire for our parish and school — our entire community — to be ruled by these tender hearts,” Fr. Day said.

The enthronement ceremony involved hymns, a recitation of the rosary, and the recitation of the 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart given to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque by Jesus in the 1600s.

Fr. Day knelt before the framed images of Jesus and Mary in the front of the church and led the people in acts of consecration to the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart, then incensed the images and blessed them with holy water.

After placing one large image of Jesus and Mary on the wall of the church with the assistance of Deacon Jene Baughman, Fr. Day processed with the people and the Knights of Columbus color guard through the school.

After placing another large framed image of Jesus and Mary on the wall of the school, the group returned to the church for a closing prayer.

Bringing the parish community together for the enthronement was the launch of a new program by the Men of the Sacred Hearts.

“Our mission has always been to bring the Sacred Heart of Jesus into the home,” said David Tay, executive director and board chairman of the Men of the Sacred Hearts.

He said that in recent years, families have forgotten to come together and put some routine prayer time forward.

“It used to be that once a week there would be a family rosary or something, and Grandma or Mom would make a dinner,” he said. “It was an opportunity for the family to come together and share.”

Tay explained that a typical home enthronement is done in two one-hour visits to a family’s house. The first visit consists in the team bringing a statue of Our Lady of Fatima to stay for a week or so, and the family is invited to lead the recitation of the rosary.

“A key is to have the parents set the example first,” Tay said. “Some families we help along with this; it’s a tradition that just isn’t shown anymore.”

He said it’s encouraging to see young families in their late 20s and early 30s embrace the devotion to the Sacred Hearts because they “felt there was something missing.”

A big part of the enthronement is in helping families learn to know each other better, Tay said.

“Even good kids from great families may feel lost, forgotten or broken,” he said. “These are kids who are at risk. If we can get families to come together in prayer where it’s comfortable for everyone to share what’s going in in their lives, you’ll feel more like a family — rather than going to this house to sleep and eat.”

Tay said the Men of the Sacred Hearts help about 400 families a year with enthronements, with different teams working at different times.

He shared a story of the 12-year-old son of a family who had just done an enthronement. The son was at a pool party with some friends, and when one of his friends mentioned that his aunt was dying of cancer, the son suggested they pray for her.

“That’s because of the comfort in their home that was established because of praying together. It’s all there. We just have to make people comfortable to say, ‘let’s pray,’” Tay said.