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Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat 1779-1865 |
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 St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, foundress of the Society of the
Sacred Heart, was born in Joigny, France on December 12, 1779. She was
a frail, intensely thoughtful child, who knew with ruthless logic,
before she could talk, that God alone mattered. She grew up in the
simple home of a barrel maker where she received a remarkable education
under the guidance of her brother, Louis. At age 16, Sophie went to
Paris to study, following a demanding program that included
mathematics, Latin, theology, and biblical studies. It was in Paris
that she learned from Father Joseph Varin of plans for a new religious
congregation whose end would be to glorify the Heart of Jesus. It was
to be rooted in prayer and devoted to the ministry of education. On
November 21, 1800, with three others, she consecrated her life "to make
known the revelation of God's love, whose source and symbol is the
Heart of Christ."
The first school was in Amiens, France. On
January 18, 1806, at the age of twenty-six, Mother Barat was elected
Superior General of the order, an office she held until her death in
1865. On Ascension Thursday, May 25m 1865, Madeleine Sophie Barat died
in Paris. She was beatified in May 1908 and was canonized a saint in
1925. Her feast is celebrated on May 25th.
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