St. Madeleine Sophie's home in Joigny, France

St. Madeleine Sophie's bedroom, now
the oratory

Associated Alumnae and Alumni of the Sacred HeartLiturgical Celebrations 

Feast of Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat- May 25

Readings :

First Reading - Colossians 3: 12-17

Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 42-43

Gospel - John 15: 1-12

Introduction:

Born in Joigny , France , on December 12, 17 79 , Madeleine Sophie Barat was guided by Father Varin towards an apostolic religious life and on November 21, 18 00 she founded the Society of the Sacred Heart. In 1802, Mother Barat was appointed Superior , destined to govern for sixty-three years until her death in Paris on May 25, 18 65 . A great contemplative thinker as well as a woman of action, she criss-crossed Europe in her numerous journeys. When she died, her religious numbered close to 3,000. Some 89 schools in 15 countries in Europe , Africa and North America had been established.

The extraordinary contribution of Saint Madeleine Sophie has been succinctly captured in the jacket of Margaret William's biography of this Saint:

The personality and achievement of this dynamic woman are revealed in her triple role as the creator of a new religious congregation of sisters, as an educator who provided a distinctive way of forming Christian women for their task in the modern world, and as a Saint who displayed in her person and in her teaching a spirituality which blended the serenity of the contemplative with the active apostolate of the missionary.

After Saint Madeleine Sophie's beatification on May 24, 19 08 , an indult of June 1, 19 02 , permitted the Society to celebrate her feast. She was canonized on May 25, 19 25 , and the following year on the 10th March 1926 , the Mass of Madeleine Sophie was approved by the Congregation of Rites.

The celebrations which mark Saint Madeleine Sophie's feast should emphasize the primordial importance she gave to "union and conformity to the Heart of Jesus" and to fidelity to human relationships and the work of education, both of which served as the basis of her understanding of apostolic community. Preparations for the feast call us to renew in ourselves her charisma and the depth of our own vocation in the light of the enormous scope of her interests, her clarity of vision, and her apostolic sensitivity.

Biography of St. Madeleine Sophie Barat

Madeleine Sophie Barat was born in Joigny, France, a small Burgundy town, December 12, 1779. As a young girl Sophie was tutored by Louis Barat who recognized the intelligence and giftedness of his younger sister, instructed her in the classics of French literature, ancient history, Spanish, Italian and possibly some Latin-- a rigorous curriculum that at the time was reserved for boys.

In the aftermath of the Reign of Terror, Sophie moved to Paris where she continued her studies in theology, the Church Fathers, biblical studies, and mathematics. During this time she became acquainted with Fr. Joseph Varin who told her of an idea of another priest, Fr. Leonor De Tournely. The idea was to begin a company of women parallel to the then-suppressed Society of Jesus and whose work would be to revitalize Christian life in France. Sophie agreed to this idea and with three companions made her vows on November 21, 1800. (In doing so Sophie and her companions joined an established institute known as the Dilette di Gesu. This name was subsequently changed to the Ladies of the Faith in 1802, the Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1806, and finally to the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1815.)

Sophie Barat and her companions opened the first school in Amiens. In 1804 she traveled to Grenoble to the Visitation convent of St. Marie d'en Haut. There she met Rose Philippine Duchesne. The two became fast friends and collaborated in the development and extension of the Society with Philippine establishing the Society of the Sacred Heart in the United States in 1818.

Leading the Society of the Sacred Heart for 65 years, Sophie Barat was a builder, educator, apostle and spiritual guide. During the time the Society grew to more than 3,000 members on four continents.

Sophie Barat died May 25, 1865 and was canonized May 24, 1925.