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 (also known as RSCJ) is a group of Catholic women religious. They were started in France by Madeleine Sophie Barat in 1800. Their main goal is to provide education, especially for girls.
Contents
History of the Society
Madeleine Sophie Barat founded the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus after the French Revolution. She wanted to create schools for girls. The sisters lived simply and focused on their teaching work. In some places, they ran one school. In bigger cities, they often had two schools: one for boarding students and another for children from poorer families.
The first convent opened in Amiens in 1801. In 1820, the French Government gave the Society a property now known as Hôtel Biron (which is now the Rodin Museum). More houses opened in other French cities. In 1826, Pope Leo XII officially approved the Society. Madeleine Sophie Barat was the leader of the Society from 1806 until she passed away in 1865. The Society quickly grew across Europe and beyond.
The Society in the United States
In 1818, Rose Philippine Duchesne brought the Society to the Americas. She started the first free school west of the Mississippi River in St. Charles, Missouri. The Society later opened colleges for women in many cities, including Cincinnati, New York, and San Francisco.
Addressing Past Injustices
Historically, in the states of Missouri and Louisiana, some communities of the Religious of the Sacred Heart owned enslaved people. These enslaved people helped build and maintain the schools. They worked alongside the sisters, caring for children, cooking, and gardening.
In September 2018, the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, honored the enslaved people buried in the parish cemetery with a monument. The school's museum also has a section dedicated to this history. The Society of the Sacred Heart also created the Cor Unum Scholarship. This scholarship helps African American students attend Sacred Heart schools. It also supports training for teachers and staff on topics like inclusion and diversity.
The Society in England and Wales
The Society came to England in 1842. They started a girls' boarding school in Roehampton. This school later became Digby Stuart College, which trains teachers. The Sisters have continued to be involved in education. Many schools they founded are now run by trustees or the local church, but they still follow the Society's values.
In 2004, Digby Stuart College joined with other colleges to form the University of Roehampton. The RSCJ Sisters are still active members of the university's governing body. The Society has two main houses in Roehampton. Barat House is a community where RSCJ 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 arrived in New Zealand in 1880. In 1909, they established Baradene College of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic girls' school in Auckland. Sister Philomene Tiernan, an RSCJ sister from the Australia/New Zealand Province, was a passenger on Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014.
Between 1906 and 1909, the French government closed many of the Society's houses in France. About 2500 sisters moved to other countries. The main headquarters moved to Ixelles, Belgium. In 1964, the rule that kept sisters mostly inside the convents was changed, allowing them more freedom to go out for their work.
The Society in Australia
In 1882, five nuns of the Sacred Heart arrived in Sydney. They founded a school in Rose Bay. The Society of the Sacred Heart continued to be active in Australia in the 20th century. Ann Margaret Magoffin helped them organize their finances better, allowing each convent to manage its own accounts in English.
The Society in Uganda
The first RSCJ foundation in Uganda was started by six sisters in 1962. In 1984, the RSCJ took over the management of the St. Charles Lwanga Girls' Training Centre in Kalungu. This center was founded in 1967.
What the Society Believes
The Society's Constitution (their rule book) from 1982 explains that their work is connected to their faith. It says their ministry comes from their desire to follow the "heart of Jesus" and the teachings of the Gospel.
The Society's Work Around the World
As of 2023, more than 1,800 religious sisters serve in 41 countries. They do many different kinds of work, but they mostly focus on education, especially for girls. There are about 75 RSCJ sisters in England and Wales. Since 1979, sisters from the Llannerchwen Community have run a retreat center near Brecon, Wales. Some sisters also work individually in places like Fenham, Newcastle.
In Uganda and Kenya, sisters teach at all levels, from primary school to university. They also offer counseling, do pastoral work, help women in villages, work in prisons, provide health care, teach about AIDS, care for people with AIDS at home, and 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 of the Sacred Heart with its mission. One of their projects is supporting the Sacred Heart School at Kyamusansala Hill, Uganda. As of 2015, their support helped build a residential school that educated 530 girls.
The Society also has a special status at the United Nations. They work as consultants with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. This means they can advise the UN on social and economic issues.
Notable Members
- Madeleine Sophie Barat
- Karuna Mary Braganza
- Mary T. Clark
- Grace Dammann
- Rose Philippine Duchesne
- Yelizaveta Golitsyna
- Mary Aloysia Hardey
- Margaret MacRory (1862 – 1931) created a women's college in Sydney
- Anne Montgomery
- Eleanor O'Byrne
- Harriet Padberg
- Janet Erskine Stuart, fifth Superior General of the Society of the Sacred Heart, author of The Education of Catholic Girls
- Isa Vermehren
See also
In Spanish: Sociedad del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús para niños
- Schools of the Sacred Heart
