You will find on this page some pictures characteristic of some moments of the life of the Society of teh Sacred Heart.

Click on the picture to see a larger format.

For the Sunday 24 May 1925, the "Journal of the School" of the Sacred Heart house of Lindthout (near Brussels, Belgium), said:

"In the study room, on the left of Mater, decorated with splendid lilac, red lamps, a statue of our dear founder waits her aureole ! In the chapell, above the glory of the Sacred-Heart, the portrait of our Blessed Mother is covered with a veil that hides her cherished image. But many flowers are there and their joy adds to ours. What we'd like to anticipate the pope's decree and already sing: "Saint Madeleine-Sophie" ! But hasn't he just proclaimed the holiness of our Mother ? Yes, Rome has heard those blessed words, this morning around 10:30 or 11:00. As Rome has spoken, children of the Sacred Heart, children of Lindthout, let's shout, let's sing our happiness with a Te Deum. Oh ! What a beautiful Te Deum..."  The report continues, with the feasts during several days, with an Dominican organist for the pontifical mass, the music of Father Verhelst, chaplain and composer, a speech of the apostolic nuncio and a "dialogue".

(At the Sacred Heart, a "dialogue" was a sketch including deep thoughts on a spiritual or moral theme, here the life of the saint and her entrance into the glory of heaven.)

Not far, the house of the Sacred Heart of Jette also feasted the Canonisation of the founder:

The angel of the Sacred Heart drives the sisters, former pupils and children who died during their education to the heaven.

Those characters represent many countries in the world where houses of the Sacred Heart live in the footsteps of the Saint.

Our Lady of Sorrows

After the feast of the glorious cross, on 14th September, the calender of all the saints celecrates on 15th September the feast of our Lady of Sorrows, which Saint Madeleine-Sophie cherished as she cherished the english martyrs of the 16th century (Our Lady of Tyburn).

In 1837, as Mother Barat was visiting the Villa Lante - on the Janicule, near the Vatican - she saw a small statue of our Lady of Sorrows, and she decided to buy the house.

A bit later, in 1839, a deep crisis almost ruined the Society of the Sacred Heart. In those hard years, the saint was finding her strength near the Lady of Sorrows, standing at foot of the cross.

That feast is also known as the "Compassion of Mary" and invites us to find mercy for our brothers in Mary's heart, suffering with her child, as she is on the side of each of her suffering children.

Above is the way the painter Gaillardi understood that mystery, according to his time. One may remark the serenity of Mary.

November 21, feast of Mary's presentation. That feast reminds us that, according to the Tradition, Mary's parents presented their daughter in the Temple to have her educated there. Historicity of the fact is doubtful but the feast emphasises Mary's dedication to God as soon as her conscience began to develop.

On this feast-day, Sophie Barat and three companions consecrated themselves to God before that painting, without knowing what their future would be. The ceremony took place in Paris on November 21, 1800, the date being considered as the birth of the Society of the Sacred Heart.

That painting is a copy of an original, which is owned by the museum of Budapest. For 200 years, every General Superior has been elected before it. As Mary watched over Jesus' growth, she also watches over the spiritual life of the Society dedicated to Jesus' Heart.

20 October is the feast-day of Mater Admirabilis. In the Sacred Heart schools, there was a tradition placing the young Mary in the Temple. She is supposed to have learnt there to spin wool, to study, to pray, being educated just like the pupils of the Sacred Heart in the 19th century.

In 1844, a young French painter accompanied Mother Barat on one of her journeys to Rome. She prepared herself to enter the Society of the Sacred Heart. She was allowed to paint a fresco of the young Mary in a hall of the monastery of Trinita dei Monti. Pauline Perdrau started with courage this hard and difficult work. It took her 13 hours to paint the face. When the work was finished, everyone was disappointed: the colours were too garish. Waiting for an application of lime, the fresco was hidden behind a veil, . But, a few days later, the fresco appeared in all its beauty, revealing Mary's grace.

Two years later, on 20 October 1846, Holy Pope Pie IX, visiting the Trinita dei Monti monastery, exclaimed, when he saw the "Madonna with a lily": "It is really the most Admirable Mother". This is the name under which that Madonna is known in all houses of the Sacred Heart.

Recently, a former pupil of the Sacred Heart of Obayashi (Japan), not baptised, came to pray Saint Madeleine-Sophie for her daughter. Seeing the Madonna in a hall, she exclaimed with loving recognition: "Oh, Mater Admirabilis!" .

In Rome, not only former pupils of the Sacred Heart come to pray to her, but also saints like John Bosco or Therese of Lisieux… During the Council of Vatican II, several bishops from throughout the world were pleased to celebrate the Eucharist before her image, and to entrust to her the young people of their dioceses.

Saint Madeleine-Sophie, who had assisted to the creation of the fresco, loved to pray Mater Admirabilis. We may join her to pray for young people who are searching for interior peace and the spiritual life.

Last update: 2005-09-16