SACRED HEART, SISTER SERVANTS OF THE

SACRED HEART, SISTER SERVANTS OF THE

1910-25

This society was founded by Abbe Victor Braun in Paris in 1866. The Rule was adopted from that of St. Francis de Sales. The Sisters spread to England where they concentrated on assisting the poor and working classes as well as conducting a successful hospital in London.

In 1902, eighteen houses in England formed an independent congregation at Chigwell under the name of Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Three houses remained with the origins of the Congregation in Versailles. One of these houses, Homerton, made a foundation in Young, NSW in 1910. The purpose of the foundation was to establish a hospital in Young and open a boarding and day school at the nearby town of Wombat.

In the following year the Superiors at Versailles gave permission for Homerton in England and Young in Australia to be autonomous. Homerton did so and chose to amalgamate with the Chigwell congregation in England in 1913.

With the onset of World War I the Sisters at Young were advised if they wished to return to England to do so before the situation worsened. Thirteen Sisters took this advice.

The remaining Sisters at Young continued their work at the expanding Sacred Heart hospital.

A number of Australian women joined the Congregation. A majority of what remained of the original group wanted to return to England and three of them did so in 1923. The Sisters of Mercy of the Goulburn Diocese took over the administration of the hospital.

By this stage some of the Sisters had opened a hospital in Cootamundra. With few recruits, it was decided that the Australian-born members of the Congregation were given to the option of entering other religious congregations. This action occurred but one Australian religious accompanied the young foundress Mother Mechtilde to England where the Australians joined the Chigwell foundation and Mechtilde remained with the original Servants of the Sacred Heart.

Further References:

M.R. MacGIinley, A Dynamic of Hope: Institute of Women Religious in Australia. Crossing Press, Sydney, 1996, pp.290-2.

Clerkin, R. A Heart for Others. Chigwell, Essex 1983

Quinn, Michael D. The Parish of Young, NSW Young, Young Witness, 1958.

Maher, Brian Planting the Celtic Cross: Foundations of the Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn.

Aranda, ACT. Maher, 1998.

If further information is required about individual Sisters the following address is given:

The Archivist

The Convent

Chigwell

ESSEX

ENGLAND

In writing to the Archivist it would be appropriate that a financial contribution be made for the Archivist’s time and expertise.

Religious Orders or Congregations have released the details on their members. It is understood that the copyright of any material (including the listing of the names of the Sisters) relevant to a particular Order or Congregation in this publication remains with the relevant Order or Congregation.