SSCM HERITAGE

Our Story...

The congregation of the Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary was born of two inspired dreams during the turmoil of the mid 1800's in France. Father François Delaplace, CSSp, dreamt of a better life for the abandoned children in Paris. Marie Moisan, who worked at his side, dreamed of a consecrated life spent in serving the desperately poor.

As the congregation grew, Father Delaplace prayerfully discerned with the Servants a call to open missions in the United States and French Canada. Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary continue to respond to that call with the gifts of faith, self-giving and family spirit in a variety of ministries in France, the United States, Canada, Cameroon, Cuba, Argentina, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Are you seeking to serve Christ in a deeper way? You are welcome to join us. We continue to invite women to vowed religious life and as Servant Companions. Women and men are welcomed as Affiliates, Consecrated Laity and as members of the Delaplace Prayer Ministry. 

Our Charism...

Each religious congregation is blessed by a unique gift of the Holy Spirit called a "Charism." It is an expression of the way the congregation is called to follow Christ. It distinguishes a religious community and gives it a particular character.

A Servant of the Holy Heart of Mary is one who lives in faith, family spirit, and self-giving; one who acts as a servant of the Lord with trust in Divine Providence and with a spirit of fidelity; one who shares in the Gospel option of preference for the poor; one who lives in the spirit of joy and perseverance.

We are Women in Mission.


Each religious congregation in the Church brings to the people of God a particular gift of the Holy Spirit called charism. A charism is an aspect of who Jesus is, shared with a religious congregation, and is manifested in prayer and service.

The charism of the Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary is a vital impulse in each of its members. It is treasured as a grace of continuity for the mission of the congregation in the Church.

FAITH...
is expressed by receptivity to the Word of God. Through openness and wholehearted affirmation, we are enabled to "put on the mind of Christ", so that in him and through him we may encounter God in all persons and events.

SELF-GIVING...
must find expression in our lives through an attitude of evangelical detachment and by participating in the mystery of the Redemption which imparts to suffering, accepted in faith, an authentic Paschal character.

FAMILY LOVE...
is nourished by liturgical prayer, especially the Eucharist. Growth in authentic communion of life with one another enables us to become a sign of the creative presence of God in the world.

The charism of the Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary is not directed primarily to community life or to ministry. Instead, the charism has to do with who we are and how we live with our loving God. As a Servant of the Holy Heart of Mary embodies faith, self-giving and family love in her life, the SSCM charism is shared with her sisters in community and with the people for whom and with whom she serves.

Spirtuality...

A Servant of the Holy Heart of Mary lives out the founding charism with a spirituality inspired by the Primacy of the Love of God and the mystery of the Incarnation.

The Primacy of the Love of God is revealed in God's unconditional love for each of us and in our desire to hold that Love and Loving as the center of our lives.

The mystery of the Incarnation beckons us into the ongoing enfleshment of Jesus within our lived experience. God took flesh in Jesus. We, as we live in the Holy Spirit, allow Jesus to become present again within each of us.

The spirituality of the French School of the seventeenth century impels us to be aware of the mystery of divine Transcendence. We are led by the Spirit to a life of union with God through renunciation of the false self, prayer and our life in community. Today, a Servant of the Holy Heart of Mary pursues a persevering search to know the will of God and to live in conformity to Christ, under the protection of the holy and immaculate Heart of Mary.

A Servant of the Holy Heart of Mary, holds the outpouring of God’s love in the Eucharist as a model of dedication. Mary's fiat, her “Yes” to the Lord in hospitality, simplicity of life, and zeal in service, is the guiding exemplar of living faith. A Servant of the Holy Heart of Mary endeavors to be visionary in her response to the Church and to the needs of people.

History...

The Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary is a religious congregation begun in France during the turmoil of the 1800'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 encountered Marie Moisan, a 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, hospitals, and parochial schools. Since those early days, further growth has occurred so that today 408 Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary serve the Church in France, the United States, Canada, Africa, Argentina, Cuba, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary are engaged in a wide variety of ministries.

Leadership...

Left to Right:
Sr. Mary Beth Clements, sscm
Sr. Vicky Mobley, sscm
Sr. Mary Ann Hettel, sscm
Sr. Carol Karnitsky, sscm, Province Leader
Sr. Karen Carlson, sscm
Sr. Mary Kay Moran, sscm