| Abbreviation | M.S.C. |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1880; 145 years ago (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 |
| Membership | 273 (2017) |
Superior General | Sr. Barbara Luise Staley |
| Website | www |
TheMissionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is aCatholic female religious congregation founded in 1880 by SaintFrances Xavier Cabrini. Their aim is to spread devotion to theSacred 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 inRome.
Maria Francesca Cabrini was born on July 15, 1850, in what is now the ItalianProvince of Lodi, and began her career as a school teacher. Around 1870, she became headmistress of the orphanage inCodogno, 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 thereligious institute, and she continued as itssuperior general until her death. The sisters took in orphans andfoundlings, opened a day school to help pay expenses, started classes inneedlework and sold their fineembroidery 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 ofGiovanni Scalabrini,Bishop of Piacenza, and ofPope Leo XIII.[2]
In 1889, at the suggestion ofPope 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.[3] In 1892 they established Columbus Hospital in New York City,[4] which later becameCabrini Medical Center and operated until 2008.
From 1926 to 1951, several Italian sisters coming from the United States were active inChina, provinces ofHenan andZhejiang.[citation needed]
The sisters purchased the formerWoodcrestestate inRadnor Township, Pennsylvania in 1953.Cabrini University opened on the estate in September 1957.[5]
The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are present in 15 countries on 6 continents.[6] The general motherhouse is in Rome. The Missionary Sisters' current missions include service in the areas of education, healthcare and immigration.[7][8] In London, they run the St Francesca Cabrini Catholic Primary School.[9]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
