The lifetime of Madeleine Sophie Barat, has much in common with our modern time of conflict and strivings for peace. Born in Joigny, a village in the wine growing country of northern France, her early life spanned the turbulent years of the French Revolution.  In 1800 with two companions she made vows in the newly formed Society of the Sacred Heart.  By 1804 she was named Superior General, and the years she led the society were years of further revolution in France and throughout Europe.

Living in a period of political upheaval and suffering, Madeleine Sophie envisioned a life of both contemplation and action for the members of the Society of the Sacred Heart.  The foundation of their prayer and ministry is dedication to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Devotion to the Sacred Heart places its emphasis on the humanity of Jesus, the relationship of love between Christ and his followers, and provides the impetus for bringing joy and hope to a divided world.

From its beginnings the chief ministry of the Society has remained education and ministry to those suffering poverty and privation.   Convinced that the greatest need of her day was the education of women, Madeleine Sophie founded schools both for those who could pay tuition and for those who could not.  Her convents were also centers of retreat work.  Before she died in Paris in 1865, Madeleine Sophie saw the expansion of the Society of the Sacred Heart into the United States, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, England, and Latin America.  

Such is the legacy that Madeleine Sophie’s followers carry forward today in various ministries in 45 countries of the world.  As St.  Madeleine Sophie said before her death:

    There is a spirit of the Society.  Our first movement . . .

is the contemplative life, that is what we must do in prayer.  But it is then that Jesus says to us: “Go, tell my sisters and brothers.”  Mary becomes an apostle.  Why can we not say to the whole universe: “Know His Heart!”?