The story of Sophie’s nomination as superior of the little band in Amiens is well known: the admonition of Mother Naudet, superior of the Dilette, to Sophie that she was too retiring and must come out of herself; Sophie’s reply “May I never go back in;” subsequently, Father Varin’s catechism lesson on the will of God that resulted in Sophie’s being told that the will of God was that she be superior. These events had taken place in 1803, when there was still only one community. By the end of 1805 there were the three houses named above, and it was deemed time to hold a council to elect a superior general.

Adele Cahier relates the steps leading up to the council and its outcome:

Mother Barat arrived in Amiens [from Grenoble] on December 14…Fathers Varin and Roger came a few days later, for before proceeding to the election it was necessary to make sure that the institute was on a firm foundation and to review the rules, especially those concerning government. Many conferences were held, and the results presented in writing to the bishop of Amiens, who approved them. This document repeated the stipulation that the new society would bear the name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as soon as prudence allowed. Already a seal was adopted bearing the image of the Heart of Jesus.

On January 18, 1806, all the professed in Amiens assembled, Father Varin presiding, assisted by Father Roger. M. Sambucy de St-Estève was present as a witness. As it was not possible for the professed of the houses of Belley and Grenoble to be present, they had sent their sealed ballots in advance. Mother Barat was elected on that day with a simple majority of the votes. The next day all the members of the community renewed their vows under her authority with a newly composed vow formula.

The little chapel traditionally believed to have been the assembly room bears a plaque commemorating this momentous event in our history: Margaret Williams states that the “plaque expresses the gratitude of posterity rather than the facts of history when it states that Mother Barat was elected by unanimity.” We know from the subsequent history of Amiens, the treatment of Madeleine Sophie by Anne Baudemont and M. de St-Estève that the support of Mother Barat was anything but unanimous at the time. What we know also from hindsight 200 years later is that the life and future development of the Society was profoundly affected by that election of a superior general for life. Had an older person been chosen, she would not have lived and, therefore, governed as long as did Madeleine Sophie. Had the office not been for life, Sophie’s influence at the center would probably have faded to some degree when her term was up. Her sixty years as general meant that her charism, her personal insight into the relationship between complete and utter consecration to the love of the Heart of Jesus and education became the foundation of the Society’s life and mission.

It is interesting to reflect also on the originality in female religious life in the 19^th century of the practice of central government with a superior general who traveled to visit houses in different dioceses and who assigned members to one or other of the houses. Modeling their form of government closely on that of the Society of Jesus and other clerical orders, Sophie and her companions were doing something, if not completely new, at least unusual. Bishops, priests and people in general expected nuns to be cloistered, to belong to one particular house governed by a superior who was herself governed by the local bishop. Bonds among monasteries of the same order were spiritual but not juridical. Here again Sophie’s long experience in office enabled her to overcome opposition to general government, to surmount the crises her leadership underwent and to put the Society’s government on a firm footing. Still more, her ultimate success in having that form of government of women religious recognized by Vatican authorities was a step forward for women in the church.