Sacred Heart, Society of the

▪ Roman Catholic congregation

      (R.S.C.J.), a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women devoted to the education of girls, founded in France in 1800 by Madeleine Sophie Barat (Barat, Saint Madeleine-Sophie). Joseph Varin, a leader in the religious renewal in France following the French Revolution, was looking for a young woman to head an educational order modelled on the Jesuits and dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He chose Mother Barat, and in Paris on Nov. 21, 1800, she and three companions pronounced their religious vows. In 1801 the first convent was opened at Amiens. The first school established was a free school for the children of the poor, and education of the poor has continued to be a concern of the order; but the Society of the Sacred Heart has been noted for its fine schools, academies, and colleges intended especially for the daughters of the wealthy and highly placed. By the time of the death of the foundress in 1865, the order had spread from France to 11 countries of Europe, Algeria, and North and South America. Its first missionary was Rose Philippine Duchesne, who brought the order to the United States in 1818.

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