Holy Family Province, United States
The Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary is a religious congregation which begun in France during the turmoil of the 1860’s. Father François Delaplace, C.S.Sp. founder of the congregation, was concerned about the children in Paris who were left abandoned. He prayed to know what it was the Lord willed of him for these children.
One day, he was introduced to Marie Moisan, a young woman who was seeking the Lord’s will in her life. Father Delaplace shared his concerns with her and asked her assistance. She responded immediately and began at once to search out means to establish a home for the children.
The congregation was sensitive to the great needs of the Church in France. This sensitivity deepened to include the needs of the Church in the United States when in 1889, the sisters responded to a request to serve at St.Viator’s College, Bourbonnais, Illinois. From St.Viator’s College, the work of the sisters expanded to include boarding schools for girls, hospitals and parochial schools
In 1895, Holy Family Academy was opened in Beaverville, in the diocese of Peoria. The following year, in 1896, in the same milieu, the noviciate was opened to welcome the first three American postulants. In 1897, in the diocese of Chicago, at Kankakee, the leadership of the hospital founded by the pastor of the milieu was assigned to the sisters
First Convent, Bourbonnais
lllinois
Holy Family Academy, Beaverville
lllinois
Today 24 American sisters live in 5 communities in three dioceses: Joliet, Peoria and Rockford.
Sisters of the Holy Family Province
Members of the Provincial Administration
Provincial Center, Kankakee
The Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary are engaged in a wide variety of ministries including:
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Education
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Formation
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Liturgical ministry
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Ministry to the poor
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Pastoral ministry to the elderly and within parishes
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Healthcare
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Social services
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Vocation awareness
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Hispanic ministry
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Support of housing for young immigrant women and children
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Programs for sharing SSCM charism,
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Internal services including archives
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emphasis on spiritual ministries: spiritual direction, various forms of retreats, reading groups, prayer ministry.
One Heart, One Soul Spirituality Center
Kankakee, Illinois
Nazareth Spirituality Center
Batavia, Illinois
