St. Madeleine Sophie Barat (1779-1865 A.D.)
St. Madeleine Sophie Barat was called by God to found a religious order of women whose work is to educate young women for leadership roles and positions in society.
Praying to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
St. Madeleine Sophie Barat (1779-1865 A.D.) is the foundress of the Religious of the Sacred Heart. When she was just 10 years old in Joigny, Burgundy in France, she first knew of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary through images in their own home. Her brother, Louis Barat, who was 21 years old at the time, was imprisoned during the Reign of Terror. This situation made their parents and Madeleine prayed fervent before those images - entrusting Louis Barat to God. This spiritual experience made such a deep impression on Madeleine Sophie. The Sacred Heart of Jesus then came to be the focus of her devotion.
Education in Paris
After the Reign of Terror, Louis Barat returned home as a priest. That was in 1795 A.D. When Louis noticed his sister to have grown and with much intelligence, he persuaded their parents to allow him to take Madeleine for a good education in Paris. Louis believed that she was destined for an outstanding service in the Church. Under the direction then of her brother in Paris, Madeleine Sophie devoted hours every day in studying the writings of the fathers of the Church, the classics of western spirituality, and the Scriptures.
Origins of the Religious of the Sacred Heart
As she studied in Paris, St. Madeleine Sophie felt attracted to the contemplative life and so planned to become a Carmelite. But Joseph Varin, a priest in Paris who got to know Madeleine Sophie, also believed as her brother Louis did, that her intelligence indicate that she is called to more active service in the apostolate. And since convent schools in France at the time had been destroyed, these priests urged St. Madeleine to establish an order that would work for the education of girls. At the time also, St. Madeleine Sophie was directed to lead the family of a French branch of the just started religious congregation of Dilette Gesú. Eventually, without intending it, she was already laying the foundation for a separate congregation - the Religious of the Sacred Heart.
The Spirituality and Thought of St. Madeleine Sophie
In the mind of St. Madeleine, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was closely linked to devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. She followed the tradition of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and also emphasized reparation, the practice of the Holy Hour for the first Friday of the month, and the use of devotions and prayers intended to draw people to the worship of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. With her influence in these spiritual practices, the custom of making a half-hour of mental prayer daily before the Blessed Sacrament grew up in her congregation.
The Interior Life
Though St. Madeleine Sophie emphasized formal prayer, she also said that interior life is even more than prayer. And she points out the constant recollection of God's presence throughout the activities of the day as a good exercise to develop this interior life. She continues to add that this renewed recollection of God's presence is equivalent to the entire sacrifice of oneself. Such an action also makes a person truly given over to the action of God. St. Madeleine Sophie describes this reality to one of her sisters in her writing:
"Few give themselves over to the Holy Spirit, and what a mistake we make in not being among the privileged few! Believe me, it costs much more to stay in a miserable mediocrity in which one belongs neither to God nor to oneself. It is like swimming between two currents; it is difficult and dangerous. Hurry up and plunge into mid-stream. The Holy Spirit will then carry you and you will get to port much more quickly" (Letters 5 vols., II, 339)
Much of St. Madeleine Sophie's interior life was lived under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit drew her to an immersion and inner penetration of the gospels. She was much absorbed in the mysteries of Christ in the course of the liturgical year of the Church. This inner life that revolved around the mysteries of Jesus made St. Madeleine Sophie more aware of God's love and His guidance.
The Work of Education
The work by which St. Madeleine Sophie and her congregation was best known for in her lifetime and also years thereafter, was that of boarding schools for girls of affluent families. St. Madeleine Sophie saw the pressing need of good Christian education for young women who can become leaders in society. She wanted them to exercise a good influence by following ideals of service, self-sacrifice, and strong faith. Even with all the work that soon consumed the activities of all in the congregation, St. Madeleine Sophie never ceased to teach her spiritual daughters that prayer must not be of less importance than activities. She stresses that prayer must dominate and sustain all activities.
Old Age and Death
St. Madeleine thought that in old age the religious should give their major attention and energies to prayer, as she also wished for herself. However, despite her desire to do so, the Congregation she founded refused to release her from her duties as superior general at the age of 84. St. Madeleine Sophie accepted this as God's will for her. She therefore continued to the end until she totally gave herself to God upon her death in 1865 A.D.
Related resources:
- Spiritualities of the Heart
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