The origins of the Society of the
Sacred Heart and its formative years are inextricably bound to the
person of Madeleine Sophie Barat. She used her spiritual gifts and
intellectual to guide the Society for 65 years. Her efforts in
leadership in this period resulted in four overarching achievements:
- articulation of spirit and way of life
- definition of the work of education
Sophie
Barat's understanding of the purpose and aim of the Society of the
Sacred Heart was that of a community rooted in prayer and expressing
the love of the Heart of Christ. She wrote "There will be a society of
women consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. . . .[who] will be the
centre which unites all its elements. This Society will be marked by
great union among its members and by a vital desire to procure the
greater glory of God." The means by which members of the Society would
achieve this purpose were chiefly four: the education of girls as
boarders; the free instruction of poor children; retreats; and
spiritual conversations with lay persons.
One of the major tasks of this period was the composition of the Constitutions and Rules of the Society of the Sacred Heart.
The central theme of this text was "unity and conformity to the Heart
of Christ." The development of this document was not without
complications, challenges, and suffering for Sophie Barat, but in the
end, the Constitutions that reflect her wisdom and vision for the
Society prevailed. These Constitutions were accepted in 1815 by the
Second General Council of the Congregation. The Society received from
the Church a mandate for its mission in the acceptance of its
Constitutions on December 22, 1826 when the Apostolic Approbation was
given by Leo XII.
The rapid expansion of the Society
throughout Europe reflected the contagious need for values and
commitment in larger society especially through the education of girls.
By 1865, the Society had grown to more than 3500 religious in nearly 90
houses in 17 countries.
This expansion is likely
attributed to Sophie Barat's conviction and drive. Her determination to
keep the vision of the Society alive and on track can be measured by
her nearly 100 circular (official) letters and 14000 personal letters.
Her way of being enabled her to receive others; to be open to their
opinions, to be able to discern, and in the end to act firmly. She gave
primary place to prayer in her life, often spoke of the necessity of
interior spirit, and urged the members of the Society to do likewise.
Finally,
the energy of the Society during this time was the development of a
system of education for young women. Catherine Mooney summarizes the
assumptions and underlying perspective of this development:
.
. .the cultural assumption that women were the prime religious and
moral educators in the home encouraged many women religious to assume
the same role within the larger "family" of French society. They ran
schools for children, were addressed as "Mothers" and prepared young
girls for the task which would await them as wives and mothers in their
own families. Sophie Barat wholeheartedly embraced this assumption. She
felt that by educating young women who were the future moral educators
of their families, religious women could re-establish Catholicism in
France. Just as a wife and mother could transform the moral tone of her
household, so religious women, it was argued, could transform the moral
tone of France." 5
5. Mooney, C. M. (1990).Philippine Duchesne: A woman with the poor. New York: Paulist Press, p. 90.
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