Sisters of the Sacred Heart
FormationJune 11, 1926; 97 years ago (1926-06-11)
FounderThe Most Reverend Louise Van Hoeck[1]
TypeCatholic religious order
Legal statusReligious congregation
Parent organization
Catholic Church

The Sisters of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic religious order founded in the Indian city of Bettiah in 1927.[2] Their charism is "education and catechetical instruction, care of the sick and social service according to the needs of the church and time."[3]

History

The Sisters of the Sacred Heart was founded on 11 June 1926 by Bishop Louis Van Hoeck in the city of Bettiah, home to the northern Indian subcontinent's oldest Christian community known as the Bettiah Christians.[4][3] It was founded with the focus of "women religious to serve in villages", where most of the population in the Bihar Province of colonial 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 to Patna, from where they have been based since that time.[3]

On 30 July 2020, Sister Elsita Mathew, the Superior 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]

References

  1. ^ Sahay, Keshari N. (1986). Christianity and Culture Change in India. Inter-India Publications. p. 64. ISBN 978-81-210-0173-1. Bishop Hoeck started the Congregation of Indian Sisters of the Sacred Heart in his Diocese.
  2. ^ a b Kalapura, Jose (1 January 2015). "Philanthropic Organizations and Community Development: The Case of the Bettiah Christians in India". Asian Journal of Social Science. 43 (4): 409. doi:10.1163/15685314-04304005.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Superior general of Patna Sacred Heart Sisters dies suddenly". Matters India. 30 July 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  4. ^ The Catholic Directory of India, 1984. C.B.C.I. Centre. 1984. p. 832.
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