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Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

From Catholicism Wiki
Abbreviation M.S.C.
Formation 1880
Founder Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini
Type Centralized Religious Institute of Consecrated Life of Pontifical Right (for Women)
Headquarters Viale Cortina d'Ampezzo, 269, 00135 Roma, Italy
Members 273 (2017)
Superior General Sr. Barbara Luise Staley
Website www.cabriniworld.org

The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a Catholic female religious congregation founded in 1880 by Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini. Their aim is to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart by means of spiritual and corporal works of mercy.

The sisters conduct homes for the aged and the sick, orphanages, industrial schools, sewing classes; they visit hospitals and prisons, and give religious instruction in their convents, which are open to women desirous of making retreats. The congregation operates in 15 countries on 6 continents, coordinated by its motherhouse in Rome.

History

Maria Francesca Cabrini was born on July 15, 1850, in what is now the Italian Province of Lodi, and began her career as a school teacher. Around 1870, she became headmistress of the orphanage in Codogno, where she taught and drew a small community of women to live a religious way of life. Cabrini took religious vows in 1877 and added Xavier (Saverio) to her name to honor the Jesuit saint, Francis Xavier, the patron saint of missionary service.

When the orphanage closed in 1880, Cabrini and seven other women who had taken religious vows with her founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (M.S.C.).[1] She wrote the Rule and Constitutions of the religious institute, and she continued as its superior general until her death. The sisters took in orphans and foundlings, opened a day school to help pay expenses, started classes in needlework and sold their fine embroidery to earn a little more money. The institute established seven homes and a free school and nursery in its first five years. Its good works brought Cabrini to the attention of Giovanni Scalabrini, Bishop of Piacenza, and of Pope Leo XIII.[2]

In 1889, at the suggestion of Pope Leo XIII, the sisters came to New York, and opened convents in the archdioceses of Chicago, Denver, Newark, Seattle, and Los Angeles and the dioceses of Brooklyn and Scranton. In 1892 they established Columbus Hospital in New York City, which later became Cabrini Medical Center and operated until 2008.

From 1926 to 1951, several Italian sisters coming from the United States were active in China, provinces of Henan and Zhejiang.

The sisters purchased the former Woodcrest estate in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania in 1953. Cabrini University opened on the estate in September 1957.[3]

Present day

The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are present in 15 countries on 6 continents.[4] The general motherhouse is in Rome. The Missionary Sisters' current missions include service in the areas of education, healthcare and immigration.[5][6] In London, they run the St Francesca Cabrini Catholic Primary School.[7]

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia

Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus — A religious congregation having its general mother house at Rome, founded in 1880 by Mother Francis Xavier Cabrini, who is still living. The aim of the institute is to spread devotion to the Heart of Jesus by means of the practice of spiritual and corporal works of mercy. The sisters conduct homes for the aged and the sick, orphanages, industrial schools, sewing classes; they visit hospitals and prisons, and give religious instruction in their convents, which are open to women desirous of making retreats. The congregation has spread rapidly in Europe and America. In 1899, at the suggestion of Leo XIII, the sisters came to New York, and have since opened convents in the Dioceses of Brooklyn, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Newark, Scranton, and Seattle. At the beginning of 1911 the institute had in the United States: 253 sisters; 11 schools with 4850 pupils; 6 orphanages with 713 orphans; 2 hospitals with about 3520 patients annually; and 1 dispensary where 21,630 persons were treated during the preceding years.

This congregation is to be distinguished from the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, founded by Father Hubert Linckens, provincial of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, Hiltrup, near Munster, on 3 August, 1899, and approved episcopally in 1900. The latter sisters are engaged teaching in New Guiana, New Pomerania, and the Marshall Islands, in the districts confided to the care of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.

References

  1. Back to citation "Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini". Franciscan Media. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  2. Back to citation "Not to the East, but to the West". Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  3. Back to citation "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes Dale, Martha W; Burnes, Beverlee (August 2008). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Woodcrest" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-01-06.
  4. Back to citation Lovett, Seàn-Patrick (2017-12-09). "Pope meets Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and recalls Mother Cabrini". Vatican News. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  5. Back to citation "Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC – We care for our community". Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  6. Back to citation Machado, Armando. "Mother Cabrini's Care for Immigrants Cited as a Model". Catholic New York. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  7. Back to citation "St Francesca Cabrini Catholic Primary School". Retrieved 2022-10-18.
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