Processional Mass of the Heart of Jesus

The origin of the local veneration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is obscure; before the official Pográny feast was recognized, the venerators of the Sacred Heart of Jesus organized significant celebrations here around 1910. The origin of the official celebration can be traced back to the Fathers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Nagyszombat. According to our knowledge, obtaining absolution became possible with church permission in 1931. On June 14, 1931, there was a procession through the streets of the village and the statue of the Sacred Heart was carried. About 5,000 believers participated in the celebration at that time. The celebration was held regularly, annually, until it was banned in 1950. We can only see it in its renewed splendor after the political changes of 1989. Mainly the believers from Pográny and the branch churches, Alsóbodok and Nyitragesze gather. In the 1990s, pilgrims from the two villages still came on foot, but now they mostly come by bus or car. At the same time, believers from Babindál also came here, and the participation of neighboring Slovak villages was also greater. At first, believers from Menyhe and other more distant villages also came here, of course on foot. There is also a later celebration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the nearby town of Zséré, and in the town of Verebély (today, the people of Babindál also go to this latter place). In 2017, we celebrated the 86th anniversary of the Pográn pilgrimage. Every year, a different priest is the main celebrant, for example, priests from Zoboralja, but there have also been bishops and episcopal vicars here. The day begins with dawn prayer, and then a Slovak mass is held in the church. The following Hungarian-language mass takes place under the trees of the churchyard, then a procession goes through the entire village, the participating believers are partly in folk costume, they stop at four places (statue of St. John of Nepomuk, statue of St. Vendel, statue of the Heart of Jesus, and again the statue of St. John of Nepomuk). The procession carries flags, crosses, statues, the monstrance is carried by a priest under a canopy. The music used to be provided by the local brass band, today it is accompanied by brass bands from the surrounding villages. The four-page print containing the songs of the procession mass was published by Jenő Harmat, a director-teacher and cantor from Pográny, in 1933. The Nitra diocesan authorities approved the hymns compiled by Artúr Harmat and Sándor Sík from nearby Nitra on June 22 of that year and published them by the Huszár printing house in Nitra under the title “Songs for the Feast of the Sacred Heart”. After the procession, there is an agape under the linden tree in the parish yard, followed by further liturgical actions in the church. Today, the Sacred Heart of Jesus moves more believers than the farewell to the patron saint of the church.