At a certain
point you say
to the woods, to the sea,
to the mountains,
the world,
Now I am ready.
Now I will stop and be wholly attentive.
You empty yourself and wait,
listening...
Annie Dillard
Sophie,
as you live on in our hearts
continue to guide us and bless us
with your spirit of love, prayer and generosity
as we endeavour to live
your vision.
For Madeleine Sophie Barat, the Society of the
Sacred Heart had been born
in an inner world and
nourished from an inner place.
For her the Society was a centre of prayer and
inner spiritual
work, in a sense quite hidden and veiled,
effective in ways not
readily perceived. This aspect and dimension
would inform and
nourish all the Society would do in the wide
field of education.
Feast of St Madeleine Sophie Barat - May 25th,
More
Madeleine S
ophie
Barat - a woman of courage, vision, passion for God and for
justice...
Born in France on the eve of the Revolution, Madeleine Sophie Barat founded the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1800. This community of women developed an educational project which was rooted in France and soon spread internationally. Sophie Barat led this rapidly expanding congregation of women for sixty-three years; by the time of her death the Society numbered 3,359 members.
"Sophie Barat's spiritual insight was born in the midst of
years of turmoil and violence, unleashed by the French Revolution. Her
initiative was in direct response to the devastation she experienced all around
her, particularly in Paris, and from 1800 she committed herself to the
restoration and renewal of her broken world. The spiritual energy for such a
vast project came from Sophie's insight into the love of God revealed in the
Heart of Christ wounded on Calvary. The ultimate range of her vision was the
transformation of her world, into a multitude of adorers, in spirit and in
truth."
Extract from:
Madeleine Sophie Barat - A Life, Phil Kilroy, RSCJ
for further reading: http://www.madeleinesophiebarat.com