Foundress of the Society of the Sacred Heart
Born in Burgundy the daughter of a vintner and barrel maker, the foundress of the Society of the Sacred Heart grew up in the modest town of Joigny with the unusual advantage of a formal education. This she received in weekly installments from her brother Louis, who attended the seminary at Sens. When, at last, Father Barat was ordained in 1795, he returned home to find that his little sister, then a mature young lady of 15, was suitably prepared to accompany him to Paris and share his apostolic work there.
Sophie’s early mission in the capital city was the teaching of young women. It was there that she met Father Joseph Varin, a friend of Louis, who became her mentor and spiritual advisor. On November 21, 1800 Father Varin presided over the consecration of hers and her three companions’ lives to the service of God. Sophie, 20 at the time, was the only one of the four to sustain her commitment.
Timeless Principles
The spread of the Society of the Sacred Heart across the continent of Europe was to occupy the remainder of Mother Barat’s life. And the commissioning of her dear friend and confidant, Philippine Duchesne, signaled the beginning of the missionary activity that would spread the order’s mission around the globe. Laying aside her childhood dream of the contemplative life, this indefatigable woman used her prodigious gifts to open more than 80 houses where education was offered to young ladies of means and position. Nevertheless her lifelong concern for the poor moved her to ignite that selfless spirit in her sisters and the children they taught.
The work of the Religious of the Sacred Heart, so energetically begun more than two centuries ago, was secured by the timeless principles and wise constitutions that its foundress provided so providentially during her long lifetime. Madeleine Sophie Barat died in Paris in 1865—13 years after the death of Philippine Duchesne. She was canonized in 1925.
On the Feast of the Sacred Heart, June 19, 2009, Madeleine Sophie’s incorrupt body was moved from the community at Rue de l’Abondance in Brussels to the church of Saint François Xavier in Paris. 
Read more on the RSCJ international web site.
