We, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, are an international, apostolic religious institute of pontifical right with a specific missionary orientation. Centred on the Heart of Jesus, ours is a Spirituality of the Heart with a special Maria dimension. Our spirituality and mission are expressed in the motto given to us by our Founder: “May the Sacred Heart of Jesus Be Everywhere Loved”. (FDNSC Constitutions No 1)
We were founded in Issoudun (France) on 30 August 1874 by Fr Jules Chevalier, MSC who personally guided the congregation in its first years of existence. In 1882, our first superior general, Mother Marie Louise Hartzer, FDNSC joined the young congregation and embarked on faithfully passing on to the early sisters the charism and spirituality of the founder.
Today, we look back with gratitude over our 140 year history of making the Sacred Heart loved everywhere. On the following pages, we will tell you more about Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, our patron; Fr Jules Chevalier, MSC, our founder; Mother Marie Louise Hartzer, FDNSC, our first superior general; and our Charism, Spirituality and Mission.
Basilica of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
Issoudun