Society of the Sacred Heart facts for kids
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Religiosae Sanctissimi Cordis Jesu
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| Abbreviation | Post-nominal letters: RSCJ |
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| Formation | November 21, 1800 |
| Founder | Madeleine Sophie Barat |
| Founded at | Amiens France |
| Type | Centralized Religious Institute of Consecrated Life of Pontifical Right for women |
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Members
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1,800+ members as of 2023 |
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Motto
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Latin: Cor Unum et Anima Una in Corde Jesu English: One Heart and One Soul in the Heart of Jesus |
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Superior General
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Sister Barbara Dawson, RSCJ |
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Generalate
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Casa Generalizia Via Tarquinio Vipera, 16 Roma, Italia |
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Ministry
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educational work |
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Parent organization
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Catholic Church |
The Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (French: Religieuses du Sacré-Cœur de Jésus), also known as RSCJ, is a Catholic group for women. It was started in France by Madeleine Sophie Barat in 1800. This group focuses on helping others, especially through education.
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History of the Society of the Sacred Heart
The Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was founded by Madeleine Sophie Barat. She started it after the French Revolution to offer schooling for girls. The way of life for the sisters was meant to be simple. It did not include the very strict rules of older religious groups, which would have made teaching difficult.
In some places, the sisters ran one school. But in bigger cities, they often had two schools. One was a boarding school, and the other was for children from poorer families. The first convent, which is a home for the sisters, opened in Amiens in 1801. More homes and schools soon opened in other French cities.
In 1826, Pope Leo XII officially approved the Society. Madeleine Sophie Barat led the Society as its superior general from 1806 until she passed away in 1865. The Society of the Sacred Heart quickly grew, spreading across Europe and to other parts of the world.
The Society Comes to the United States
In 1818, Rose Philippine Duchesne brought the Society to the Americas. She opened the first free school west of the Mississippi River in St. Charles, Missouri. Over time, the Society started many schools for girls in different U.S. cities. These included places like Cincinnati, New York, and San Francisco.
Learning About Slavery in the United States
The Society of the Sacred Heart, like many groups at the time, had a connection to slavery in the U.S. states of Missouri and Louisiana. Enslaved people helped build schools and worked alongside the sisters. They cooked, cleaned, gardened, and cared for children. The Society had enslaved people in places like Grand Coteau, Louisiana and St. Louis, Missouri.
In 2018, the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau honored the enslaved people. They placed a monument with their names in the cemetery. The school also created a museum area to acknowledge its history with slavery. The Society also started the Cor Unum Scholarship. This scholarship helps African American students attend Sacred Heart schools. It also supports learning about inclusion and diversity for teachers and students.
The Society in England and Wales
The Society arrived in England in 1842. They started a girls' boarding school in Roehampton. This school later became Digby Stuart College, which trains teachers. The sisters have always been involved in education. They founded schools across the country. Many of these schools are now run by the local church or trustees, but they still follow the Society's values.
Today, the Society in England and Wales is mostly based in Roehampton. They have two houses there. One house, Barat House, is a community where sisters and university students live together. Duchesne House is a care home for older sisters. The sisters there also help at the nearby Sacred Heart Primary School.
The Society in New Zealand
The first RSCJ sisters came to New Zealand in 1880. In 1909, they opened Baradene College of the Sacred Heart. This is a Catholic girls' school in Remuera, Auckland. Sister Philomene Tiernan, an RSCJ sister from this region, was sadly on Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 when it was shot down in 2014.
Between 1906 and 1909, the French government closed many of the Society's houses in France. About 2500 sisters had to move to other countries. The main office of the Society moved to Ixelles, Belgium.
The Society in Australia
In 1882, five nuns from the Sacred Heart arrived in Sydney, Australia. They started a school there in Rose Bay. The Society of the Sacred Heart continued its work in Australia throughout the 20th century.
The Society in Uganda
Six RSCJ sisters started the first Society house in Uganda in 1962. In 1984, the RSCJ took over the St. Charles Lwanga Girls' Training Centre in Kalungu. This center helps train young women.
What the Society Does Today
As of 2023, more than 1,800 sisters serve in 41 countries around the world. The members do many different kinds of work. However, they mostly focus on education, especially for girls. In England and Wales, there are about 75 RSCJ sisters. Since 1979, some sisters have run a retreat center in Wales. Other sisters work in individual ministries in places like Fenham, Newcastle.
In Uganda and Kenya, the sisters teach students from primary school to university. They also offer counseling, do pastoral work, and help women in villages. Some sisters work in prisons, provide health care, teach about AIDS, and care for people with AIDS at home. They also run a home for children with disabilities.
The Association Mondiale des Anciennes et Anciens du Sacré-Coeur (AMASC) is a worldwide group of former students from Sacred Heart schools. It was started in 1960 to help the Society with its work. One of their projects is supporting the Sacred Heart School at Kyamusansala Hill, Uganda. By 2015, their support helped build a residential school that teaches 530 girls.
The Society also has a special role at the United Nations. They work with the Economic and Social Council to help with global issues.
Notable Members of the Society
- Madeleine Sophie Barat
- Karuna Mary Braganza
- Mary T. Clark
- Grace Dammann
- Rose Philippine Duchesne
- Yelizaveta Golitsyna
- Mary Aloysia Hardey
- Margaret MacRory (1862 – 1931) – She created a women's college in Sydney.
- Anne Montgomery
- Eleanor O'Byrne
- Harriet Padberg
- Janet Erskine Stuart – She was the fifth leader of the Society and wrote a book called The Education of Catholic Girls.
- Isa Vermehren
See also
In Spanish: Sociedad del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús para niños
- Schools of the Sacred Heart
