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:

• vision of the mission
• articulation of spirit and way of life
• growth in membership
• 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.