Sacred Heart billboards will be seen throughout Columbus area

Central Ohio motorists will be reminded that June is the Month of the Sacred Heart by billboards bearing that message that will be placed in areas of heavy traffic throughout Franklin County by Monday, June 1 and remain in place all month.

The large advertisements have been a fixture along area highways in June for several years and are funded by donations to Laity for Mercy, a group led by Tim McAndrew, who has promoted the Sacred Heart and Divine Mercy devotions through a variety of media.

McAndrew said at least six Sacred Heart billboards will be placed this year in cooperation with Lamar Advertising, which owns the sign space. They will be at Sawmill and Bethel roads; Trabue Road and Hague Avenue; on Fifth Avenue in Grandview Heights; 370 Town Street and 889 W. Broad Street in Columbus; and 6144 W. Broad Street in Galloway.

He said the signs will be viewed by more than 1.6 million people during the month, based on traffic counts ranging from 400,000 cars per month at Sawmill and Bethel to 140,000 at the West Broad Street location. Seven similar billboards will be placed in the Cincinnati area.

The signs display the Sacred Heart image on the left. On the right are the words “June is devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Christ is King! Sponsored by Laity for Mercy.”

“The billboards are a great way of reaching people where they are,” McAndrew said. “They’re not forcing prayer on anyone but can reach people at the right instant, when they’re ready to change their hearts if they are given the right opportunity.

“I’ve had many people tell me how the billboards had that kind of effect on them – not just drivers, but pedestrians and several people living on the streets. They’ve been a gift whose effects have been felt in more ways than I could have imagined by Catholics, as well as non-Catholics and non-religious people.”

Each billboard costs between $600 and $1,500 for the month, depending on location. “I’m planning on six, but I’d love to have more,” McAndrew said. “Ideally, we’d have about 20 to fully cover the area. As many as 30 can be put up in a day.

“Last year, we ended up with 25 thanks to a lot of last-minute donations. Somewhere between $4,000 and $5,000 arrived in one day. I had to scramble with the billboard people to get them all displayed by June 6 or 7, but that was a happy scramble.

“I followed that almost immediately last year with another set of signs honoring the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I hope Our Lady doesn’t mind, but I’m not going to try that again this year with the way gas prices and the cost of other things has gone up. It would be too much to ask people to donate to back-to-back campaigns.”

McAndrew’s group also sponsors billboards promoting the Divine Mercy image. These are posted around Divine Mercy, the first Sunday after easter.

McAndrew, 64, a United Parcel Service employee who lives in Grove City and attends Columbus Holy Family Church, said he has been spreading the word about the Sacred Heart and Divine Mercy devotions for more than 20 years.

“I learned about Divine Mercy by coming across the diaries of St. Faustina Kowalska at the former St. Joseph Cathedral book store,” he said. St. Faustina began the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and its accompanying devotion after receiving visions of Jesus requesting their establishment.

“I began reading the diaries and felt an immediate sense that God was calling me to spread the devotion in the diocese,” McAndrew said. He discussed the matter with Bishop Emeritus James Griffin, who also was an advocate of the devotion.

The bishop told McAndrew to proceed with his plans in cooperation with Father William Deville, now living in Columbus in retirement. While pastor of Columbus Sacred Heart Church, Father Deville was the first priest in the diocese to promote the Chaplet as a method of prayer.

McAndrew began his ministry by publishing the Divine Mercy Messenger, a newspaper which is updated periodically. He followed that with billboards and a website, www.feastofmercy.net.

Besides spreading the Sacred Heart and Divine Mercy messages, Laity for Mercy sponsors an exhibit of panels related to 153 Eucharistic miracles which have occurred worldwide throughout the ages and are recognized by the Catholic Church.

The efforts of St. Carlo Acutis as a teenager in documenting these miracles and organizing them in an easily accessible way led to his canonization last year.

The panels next will be displayed after all the Masses on Saturday and Sunday, June 6 and 7 at Columbus St. Andrew Church, 1899 McCoy Road.

McAndrew said this is an especially significant year to be praying to the Sacred Heart because the bishops of the United States will be consecrating the nation to the Sacred Heart on Friday, June 12, the Feast of the Sacred Heart. A novena leading to that day will be prayed in churches throughout the Diocese of Columbus beginning Wednesday, June 3.

“Many people have become confused by thinking of June as Pride Month when it’s been the Month of the Sacred Heart for centuries,” McAndrew said. “It’s time to reclaim the month for Our Lord.

“Realizing these are turbulent economic times, we know the good Lord will richly bless you in your generosity, as He can’t be outdone. Many graces will flow by spreading devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.”

All donations to Laity for Mercy are tax-deductible. Donations can be made online at Sacred Heart Billboard Campaign 2026 – Laity for Mercy or by writing a check payable to Laity for Mercy and sending it to Tim McAndrew, 5133 Collins Way, Grove City, OH 43123.

For more information, call (614) 565-8654 or email mcandrewfourlife@gmail.com.

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