The figure of Father Eliah Bellebono is extraordinary and simple at the same time; ultimately, it is the story of an apostle, always in love with his Lord, first as a shoemaker and later as a priest. Indeed, Father Eliah’s path to the priesthood was long and full of obstacles (he became a priest at the age of 65); before becoming a priest, he worked as a shoemaker: “All of Eliah’s life, first as a shoemaker and then as a priest, was devoted to serving the Lord, with humility and patience, as a true apostle of the Sacred Heart. His entire mission, following Jesus’ precise instructions, is directed toward bringing sinners back to the right path and leading them back to the Lord by accepting the gifts of His mercy” (Giuseppe Cucco, President of the Foundation “Work of the Sacred Heart of Jesus”).
The Apparitions of Jesus to Father Eliah: Guided Toward a Particular Mission
The date of October 1969 profoundly marks Eliah’s life. He arrives in Urbino after completing a journey to Assisi, unable to imagine the mission to which the Lord intends to call him in this place.
Bellebono finds himself praying in the Church of Saint Francis, facing the tabernacle. Eliah kneels before his Master and begins, in silence, his dialogue with the Lord. It is at that moment that something extraordinary happens: Jesus appears to him in His majestic light, above a light white cloud. “I desire that you have a shrine dedicated to My Most Sacred Heart built. You will have a picture painted as you see Me, which will reign at the center of the shrine itself, and there I will shower many graces.”
The vision leaves him astonished. The mission the Lord is entrusting to him requires an unconditional, strong, and profound love for Jesus. Eliah carries this love in his heart, and the Lord knows it well.
The Picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
On January 7, 1973, Jesus appeared to Elia again in Villadossola, Piedmont, and said to him: «You will have a painting of the Sacred Heart made, as you see me; you will provide all the instructions. As long as you are here, you may keep it, but it is destined to be brought to Urbino, because there I want a Parish Sanctuary dedicated to My Love; it will be the seat of My Love and My Mercy, and I will make many graces rain down. I want this Sanctuary in Urbino because it was the first place where you spoke publicly about Me and My Mercy for you».
Let us leave the description of Christ to Elia’s own words: «Suddenly, a white cloud rises from the Tabernacle; it is dazzlingly white and slowly expands from its small initial size. Suddenly, it splits open and in the dazzling light there is an even brighter glow: the Divine Figure of Jesus. He is dressed in a luminous white tunic, fastened at the waist with a golden cincture; his shoulders are covered by a mantle, also golden, and his sandals are gold as well. Jesus has blond hair flowing over his shoulders, parted down the middle. His beard is blond too. His blue eyes shine in his rosy face. His Heart, crowned with thorns, is surmounted by a small cross, and blood flows from the wound in the heart, staining the white tunic. The healed wounds can be seen on his hands and feet: Jesus holds the golden mantle with his left hand at waist level, while his right hand is free». The focus of the vision remains the Sacred Heart of Jesus, crowned with thorns and bleeding with love for the world, for every person.
The Sanctuary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Sanctuary of the Sacred Heart is Elia’s vocation “within his vocation”: it is the dream he shared with his Lord.
It is located in the Ca’ Stoccolo area of Urbino, and on September 3, 2021, which was a Friday, the first Friday of the month, the day dedicated to the Sacred Heart, and the day after the twenty-fifth anniversary of Elia Bellebono’s death, the Sanctuary was consecrated and dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
It stands on a green and golden expanse, its elliptical shape so embracing that it seems like an embrace the Lord is ready to offer to anyone who seeks him with a sincere heart. This architecture expresses, with artistic and spiritual distinction, the design of Jesus' merciful love: the Lord's embrace lives in those spirals that close in on themselves while at the same time suggesting that they open to every pilgrim who wishes to visit the Sanctuary.
The Sanctuary was designed by two important figures in the contemporary art world: Yasuo Watanabe and Walter Valentini, together with Interstudio of Pesaro. The imposing, richly decorated bronze door symbolizes the gate of heaven. The bell tower soars upward, topped by a sphere symbolizing the world and surmounted by the cross of Christ.
The majestic and imposing façade bears, in relief, to the right of the door, the prayer that Elia Bellebono composed to invoke the Heart of Jesus:
Heart of Jesus, you know.
Heart of Jesus, you can.
Heart of Jesus, you see.
Heart of Jesus, provide.
Heart of Jesus, grant it.
Heart of Jesus, we believe in your love for us.
Heart of Jesus, take care of it.
Sacred Heart of Jesus
Via Ca’ Staccolo 3 – 61029 Urbino
www.sacrocuoredigesu.org
Amid the surrounding whiteness, the site of the famous painting of Jesus stands out. It is the work of the Egyptian artist Adel El Masry. It is placed above the main altar at the back, clearly visible to everyone. The painter created this famous image after hearing Elia recount his vision of Christ.
Father Elia invites us to entrust ourselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to rediscover that we are loved by a God capable of infinite mercy; let us turn to him with trust, perhaps making Father Elia's own words our own.
