Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

On November 21, 1800, French girl Magdalene Sophia Bara and several of her friends dedicated themselves to the Heart of Jesus and brought their first monastic vows to a small home chapel in Paris. This day is considered the founding date of the congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The great French revolution ended, the previous system of education and upbringing was destroyed. Therefore, the sisters considered the main thing in serving God to be the revival of the girls' upbringing system, so that in the future they, as mothers, raised their children and thus helped revive Christian values ​​in society.

On September 9, 1801, several sisters began work at a small school in Amiens . Then new callings began to come to the congregation. In the first half of the 19th century, new homes of the congregation were opened in France and other European countries at the request of the bishops.

In 1818, the Philippines Duchenne, along with four sisters, opened the House of the Congregation in Louisiana (USA). Since then, the communities and schools of this congregation in North America and Europe have been developing in parallel.

The constitution of the congregation was approved by Pope Leo XII in 1826.

The general abbess of the congregation from 1806 to 1865 was Magdalen Sophia Bara . During her administration, the congregation grew to 3.5 thousand sisters and 88 houses. The sisters lived and worked in 15 countries of Europe , North and South America. An important role in the development of the activities of the congregation in the United States was played by the Russian Princess Elizabeth Golitsyna , who became a monk in the Congregation of the Sacred Heart.

Over a century and a half, the congregation developed under the direction of the general abbesses. In 1842, the first house of the congregation was opened in Lviv (which at that time was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire ).

The sisters live in contemplative prayer and openness to the needs of the Church. By decision of the Second Vatican Council at the next General Chapter, in 1982, the sisters expressed their charisma in the new Constitution of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus approved by the Holy See in 1988.

“Christ calls us to a personal meeting with Him. He wants us to know His feelings and preferences of His Heart. (Const. No. 18)

In the Gospel, in the words of Christ, in His actions, in relation to others, in how He comes into contact with nature and other things, we know His Heart, fully given to the Father and people. (Const. No. 19)

In prayer, we come to Him with all that our lives bring - the sufferings and hopes of mankind. We learn to be in front of Him in the silence and poverty of our hearts, to worship and to selflessly abide in Him and love. (Const. No. 20)

The atmosphere of mutual trust in the community, the opportunity to share life experience and prayer, brotherly love and affection for each other give us the joy of living together, accept our gifts, a variety of cultures and ways of thinking. (Const. No. 31) "

Initial formation. Candidate - stays in the community of sisters from six months to two years. (Const. No. 76). The goal - both the Congregation and the candidate herself recognize the true calling and the strength of the desire to join the novitiate.

Novitiate lasts two years. It ends with a vow of three years. (Const. No. 81). The goal of the novitiate is to deepen the revealed calling in faith and to prepare sisters in the apostolic community for the first monastic vows (poverty, chastity, obedience).

Stage of temporary vows. The goal is to deepen life with Christ, to include the community in the apostolic life, to acquire the knowledge necessary for further service in the mission of the Congregation. Before making eternal vows, the nuns go through a third probationary period, which lasts five months. (Const. No. 96).

Stage of eternal vows. The goal is a dynamic apostolic life in the community of the Congregation and responsibility for its development. (Const. No. 109).

“Lord Jesus Christ,

You said: “When I will be lifted up above the earth, I will call everyone unto Myself” so that when we look at the Wound in Your pierced side, we see in the Heart of Yours the unseen source of life - the Church.

Live in us by your desire for unity. Live Thy love for all, regardless of whether they acknowledge or not Thy redeeming power. Live in us through your mercy to those who neglect your love.

Lord Jesus, in unity with Your Eucharistic sacrifice, renewing our dedication to Your pierced HEART and the Immaculate Heart of Mary - Yours and Our Mother. We bring to the altar our desire for the spread of your kingdom through the ministry of the church and the world.

Make us magnanimous and help everyone come to a personal renewal and a more complete return, so that when united in Your love, we live through You, with You and in You, so that you can have one heart and one . Amen."

In Russia, the community of sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus has existed in Moscow since 1991. In the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the sisters catechize children and adults in Russian and Polish, work in the field of evangelism and spiritual support for families. The sisters are contributing to the restoration of the pastoral ministry of the Catholic Church in Russia .

• Catholic Encyclopedia . T.4. Ed. Franciscantsev, M, 2011. St. 583-584
• Phil Kilroy “Madeleine Sophie Barat. A life. ”2000
• Maria Cecilia Rondon Amarante. "St. Rosa Philippines Duchenne. The face carved in hope "Moscow 2002
• Rawley Myers "American Women of Faith. Mother Duchesne »1989

• “Zgromadzenie Najświętszego Serca Jezusa Sacré Coeur” (Polish)
• “Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus - International Congregation Site”
• "The Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Moscow"
• "Place of the relics of the Philippines in St. Charles"
• “The Bicentennial of the Philippines Arriving in America”
• "The site of a provincial house in Poland"