The congregation included many familiar faces as well as some who were making the Novena for the first time.  Father Edwin Beachum graciously took Fr. Martin's place at the opening Mass, laying a strong foundation for the subsequent talks with his summary of the significant value of this devotion in the history of the Church.  

Father Martin's homily each evening drew upon the Litany of the Sacred Heart for insights into the application of the devotion to everyday life in our contemporary world.  He developed, with the conviction of experience, the deeper meaning of the invocations "Abyss of all virtues", "King and Center of all hearts", "Burning Furnance of charity", "Patient and most Merciful", "Fountain of life and holiness", "Victim of sin", "Our life and Resurrection", and "Of Whose fullness we have all received."  At times his reflections touched on the mysticism of St. Francis de Sales, reaching beyond individual concerns to the transcendence of the divine Person of Jesus.