Religious Of The Sacred Heart Of Florence

[inperpetuity]

I would love to go there too and visit St. Teresa Margaret as well.

[Luigi]

Yes, Luigi, it is indeed the same Religious Order:  The Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, founded by St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, in 1800.  And, yes, Mother Duchesne--now, as of 1988, Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne--is one of the first members, dear friend of Mother Barat, who begged and begged to be sent to "the New World," was finally granted permission, and came to the United States in 1818.  When I think of the two of them, Madeleine Sophie and Rose Phillipine, I always am amazed anew how true it is that "Saints make Saints."

 

You mentioned you know about Philippine through Mother Louise Callan's biography.  I, too, learned much of what I know about her from that book!  Currently, some Theologians and Historians among the RSCJs are doing additional scholarly work on the two Saints, since we not only have their letters, but also considerable primary documents and archival materials from Missouri, Lousiana, et cetera.  So I believe a new volume might be coming. . . . 

 

Thank you,

M. McM rscj

Thanks for the affrirmation and clarification.

[SNJM]

I would live to go to Florence to visit them. They look quite special. If I am not mistaken, Saint Madeleine Sophie first entered a Visitation convent which was destroyed/disbanded during the French Revolution. One if the books I read about her, and first sparked my interest, was that she was torn between Carmel and the apostolic life, so initially, the Sisters treated their convents very much like a cloister. I'm sure if my understanding or memories are wrong, I will be corrected. I know this is not the way the Sisters live today.

[Sr. MMcM RSCJ]

Dear SNJM,

I'll try to respond to your questions as best I can.  Yes, the group you describe visiting in St. Louis, Boston, and San Diego is the Society of the Sacred Heart in the United States Province.  The United States Provincial House is in St. Louis. 

 

And, yes, the Society is international, on all continents, with our Mother House and Superior General in Rome. 

 

The websites are:

rscjinternational.org   For the International Society

rscj.org   For the United States Province (soon to become the United States and Canada Province).

 

And, yes, the Religious in Florence, after Vatican II and long negotiations both with the Society and the Hierarchy, worked out a particular agreement with the Church to go their way.  This was decades ago, but such developments are always painful, no?  Our Cor Unum matters deeply to us. I have always been touched by how our Superior Generals and their Councils have worked to uphold charity, maintain relationship, and keep appropriate discretion for the sake of those directly involved.  So as an RSCJ who was not directly involved, I don't know the details.  From a faith perspective, I believe God's love and action are far greater than what limited human vision can imagine. 

 

As for Madeleine Sophie Barat, she never entered Visitation or any Order before founding the Society--when she was only twenty-one.  However, Philippine Duchesne did.  Madeleine Sophie was born in 1779, so she was a child when the French Revolution broke out (1789).   Philippine, ten years older, had entered Visitation, but her monastery was closed during the upheaval.  After a few years, when it seemed safer, she returned and tried valiantly to reopen it.  When that effort was failing, her Spiritual Advisors recommended she meet Madeleine Sophie.  When Philippine did, she joined the brand new Society of the Sacred Heart. 

 

In her writings, Madeleine Sophie indicates that when she was young, she thought she was being called to Carmel, but her Spiritual Advisors (priests--some of whom were suppressed Jesuits) led her to form a vision of a new Religious Order, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, wholly contemplative and wholly apostolic, that would respond to the great needs of the time, given the fundamental social and political changes and ministerial challenges that followed upon the French Revolution.  So I would not say she was torn between being contemplative or apostolic, but rather she was determined to fuse the two in the way of life she and the first members were developing for this new Religious Order.  From the beginning, Madeleine Sophie was also missionary in her focus--making known the love of God revealed in the Heart of Jesus to the ends of the earth, through education.  It's amazing how soon after the founding she sent small groups of RSCJs off to other countries. 

 

Since Madeleine Sophie lived until she was eighty-four and wrote so many letters, we have many of her exact words.  Like her, RSCJs today are committed to being wholly contemplative and wholly apostolic.  We know--and she knew--figuring out what that means in the specifics of time and place calls for real and continual discernment--and a willingness to risk new initiatives and understandings of Religious Life.  Two of my favorite quotations from St. Madeleine Sophie are:  If I had my life to live over, I would live it wholly dependent on the Holy Spirit.  And. . . Times change and we must change with them. 

 

So, SNJM, that is my understanding of the origins of the Society, the connection to Florence, and the RSCJ mission today.  Other RSCJs might give different emphases, but I hope at least my facts are accurate. 

 

M. McM RSCJ

 

[nikita92]

As of today... I went and visited the old beautiful 4 story building the sisters had built here in Seattle in 1907. They relocated it to Bellevue in 1970 I believe. It's called Forrest Ridge Academy. It is all girls from grades 5-12. The tuition is 26,000$ a year. The laptop you are required to purchase is alittle over 1,000 They pride themselves on teaching global leadership. They do have a chapel. About 31% that attended are Catholic. Whatever sisters that are there..they do not wear a habit.

[SNJM]

Dear Sister,

Thank for the clarification. Clearly I was confusing St. Madeleine Sophie and St. Ross Philippine in regards to the Visitation life.

I am curious about the contemplative aspect still being part of the charism and practice of the Order. In all honesty, that was not my experience during my own discernment. I have read some excellent books by your Sisters and there is a website I am particularly fond of that I visit frequently. Her reflections seem to come out of deep prayer and contemplation. But in life, and in interacting with the Sisters, i did not see this.

I am not trying to be rude or challenging, but I wonder if you would be so kind as to tell me how this is lived currently?

Thank you,

Rose

[SNJM]

Dear Sister,

Thank for the clarification. Clearly I was confusing St. Madeleine Sophie and St. Rose Philippine in regards to the Visitation life.

I am curious about the contemplative aspect still being part of the charism and practice of the Order. In all honesty, that was not my experience during my own discernment. I have read some excellent books by your Sisters and there is a website I am particularly fond of that I visit frequently. Her reflections seem to come out of deep prayer and contemplation. But in life, and in interacting with the Sisters, i did not see this.

I am not trying to be rude or challenging, but I wonder if you would be so kind as to tell me how this is lived currently?

Thank you,

Rose

I am writing on a smart phone. I tried to correct the name mistake in the first post & couldn't do it, so I posted again. I don't know how to delete posts, otherwise I would have deleted that one.

Edited June 11, 2013 by SNJM

[Sr. MMcM RSCJ]

Dear Rose,

You ask me to explain how it is possible to live a core component of Society of the Sacred Heart’s Charism:  to be wholly contemplative and wholly apostolic.  Perhaps you might find a response in the reflections of two RSCJs--Srs. Bridget Bearss and Bea Brennan, in the latest issue of Heart, a periodical publication of my province.  Here is the website if you would like to check it out.

http://rscj.org/system/files/publications/attachments/heart_spring_2013_6.pdf  

 

I hope it may be helpful.

 

Thank you,

Sr. MMcM, RSCJ

 

 

[SNJM]

Dear Sister,

THANK YOU so much for sharing that publication. I just finished reading it & will print it out later. It was wonderfully inspiring, very respectfully done and offered a beautiful insight into your life. I'm so glad I asked that question.

I think I will contact your Vocation director.

Thank you again, and I hope more people will read it!!!!

Thank you again,
Rose

[Chiquitunga]

Wonderful! :heart:

 

 

 

just noticed they were never posted here yet ~ http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/topic/129636-religious-of-the-sacred-heart-of-florence/

 

 

I believe the young woman in those photos is Annie Heyne who is is a graduate of the University of Dallas and a MFA graduate from the New York Academy of Art. She sold her artwork to pay off her debt so she could enter.

 

 

Some of her story is here.

 

This seems to be what Madre Annie Heyne is doing now.

 

 

[Chiquitunga]

:heart:

 

 

[Chiquitunga]

MarysLittleFlower, if you see this, this was the Religious Congregation Sr. Josefa Menendez was in :saint:

 

http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2009/12/sister-josefa-menendez-way-of-divine.html

[Chiquitunga]

St. Teresa of the Andes was also taught by them at their boarding school in Santiago, Chile ~ http://www.teresadelosandes.org/anglais/a_accueil.php

 

 

pictures from the movie :like:

[Chiquitunga]

 

 

This is St. Teresa of the Andes, Juanita Fernández (in the middle) dressed up as a Religious of the Sacred Heart with her two sisters!!  :hehe:

 

I have never seen this picture of her anywhere except this book a friend got me from her shrine in Chile. The eldest sister on the right is Lucia, who married and whose first child Juanita got to see before her entrance to Carmel. The youngest sister, Rebeca on the left, would later enter Carmel after St. Teresa/Juanita died, and be given the name Sr. Teresa of the Divine Heart.

 

Just wanted to share this before I forget :)

[dymphnamaria]

St. Teresa of the Andes was also taught by them at their boarding school in Santiago, Chile ~ http://www.teresadelosandes.org/anglais/a_accueil.php

 

 

pictures from the movie :like:

 

I so love this movie! I need to watch this one again. :)