| Formation | June 11, 1926; 99 years ago (1926-06-11) |
|---|---|
| Founder | The Most Reverend Louise Van Hoeck[1] |
| Type | Catholic religious order |
| Legal status | Religious congregation |
Parent organization | Catholic Church |
TheSisters of the Sacred Heart is aRoman Catholicreligious order founded in theIndian city ofBettiah in 1927.[2] Theircharism is "education and catechetical instruction, care of the sick and social service according to the needs of the church and time."[3]
The Sisters of the Sacred Heart was founded on 11 June 1926 by Bishop Louis Van Hoeck in the city ofBettiah, home to the northern Indian subcontinent's oldest Christian community known as theBettiah Christians.[4][3] It was founded with the focus of "women religious to serve in villages", where most of the population in theBihar Province ofcolonial India resided at the time.[3]
The Sisters of the Sacred Heart has established several schools.[2]
In the 1980s, the Sisters of the Sacred Heart shifted from Bettiah toPatna, from where they have been based since that time.[3]
On 30 July 2020, Sister Elsita Mathew, theSuperior General of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart died; her funeral was held on 31 July 2020 at Queen of the Apostles’ Church in Patna.[3]
Bishop Hoeck started the Congregation of Indian Sisters of the Sacred Heart in his Diocese.
